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Meet Claire Wineland

At the age of 13, Claire Wineland founded Claire’s Place Foundation to provide support to children and families affected by cystic fibrosis (CF). Claire lived with CF her entire life. Claire was an activist, speaker, philanthropist, and author. She committed her life to traveling the world and speaking about her experience, from the beautiful and humorous, to the painful parts of her life. She inspired all who followed her journey and broke down barriers for those who live every day with a chronic illness.

Claire’s inspirational outlook led her to be a social media star and TEDx Speaker. She spoke at leading events across the globe, as well as at top universities and companies such as Zappos and Philips. To truly feel the power of Claire, please watch her talks below.

Claire’s Place Foundation was a way for Claire to give back with hope, strength, and joy. The foundation gave meaning to her life experience. In her own words, "I know my life will be shorter so every day has meaning." She was driven to find new ways to help the CF community and other children afflicted with chronic illness. In September of 2018, Claire passed away at the age of 21.

Claire was honored as Glamour Magazine’s 2018 “College Women of the Year” grand prize winner and she received numerous other awards including one of Seventeen Magazine’s “17 Power Teens” of 2016, Fox Teen Choice Awards 2015, Global Genes’ RARE Champion of Hope Award, World of Children Youth Award, the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes and winner of Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Small Nonprofit of the Year,” among others. She was featured on The Dr. Oz Show, CNN, Huffington Post, ABC News, Cosmopolitan, People, Ladies’ Home Journal, and more.

 

Claire’s Story

 
 
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APRIL 10, 1997

CLAIRE IS BORN

Claire Wineland was born and diagnosed with cystic fibrosis “CF.” At that time, the life expectancy for a child born with CF was approximately 10 years old.

 
 
 

Birth to Age 13

Claire’s Childhood

Claire was a force to be reckoned with, despite her CF diagnosis. She was a playful, compassionate, and energetic child.

 
 
 
 
 
 
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APRIL 11, 2010

CLAIRE IS PUT IN A COMA

A day after her 13th birthday, Claire undergoes a routine surgery to repair severe gastric reflux called Nissen fundoplication. Claire’s body begins to deteriorate, her oxygen saturation falls rapidly. She develops septicemia causing full lung failure. Placed in a medically induced coma and on an oscillator, she has a 1% chance of survival and remains in the coma for 16 days.

 
 
 

APRIL 27, 2010

CLAIRE ENVISIONS CLAIRE’S PLACE FOUNDATION

Claire remains in the hospital for 3 months and slowly regains her strength following this medical crisis. She is touched by the outpouring of love she and her family receive from friends, family, community, and an online group that grew to over 9,000 members who send her positive messages, form prayer groups, and offer support. This revelation inspires her to start a foundation that would provide support for other families with children with cystic fibrosis.

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MAY 1, 2011

CLAIRE’S PLACE FOUNDATION IS FOUNDED

With the help of The Pretenders Dance Studio, we came up with an original dance and began spreading the word on how to get involved. In Santa Monica, CA, over 300 people showed up inspired to support Claire’s new foundation and to raise awareness about cystic fibrosis. The Flash Mob for CF raised over $24,000 and Claire’s Place Foundation officially opened its doors.

 
 
 

OCT 13, 2011

CLAIRE’S FIRST SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT AT 14

Claire begins a thriving public speaking career when she is invited to do her very first TEDx talk in La Jolla, CA.

 
 
 
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JUNE 25, 2014

CLAIRE’S PLACE IS NAMED “SMALL NON-PROFIT OF THE YEAR” BY LA BUSINESS JOURNAL

The first of many awards for Claire personally and professionally, Claire worked tirelessly to spread awareness about cystic fibrosis and uplift the chronic disease community. Her work inspires people across the country and earns many achievement awards.

 
 
 

AUGUST 2015

CLAIRE IS HONORED AS A “TEEN CHOICE AWARDS PRO SOCIAL HONOREE 2015”

FOX network honored 8 teens from across the country who are out to make positive change in the world and our Founder, Claire Wineland was one of them!

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MARCH 2016

CLAIRE IS NAMED ONE OF SEVENTEEN MAGAZINE’S “17 POWER TEENS”

The article featuring 17 Teens out to change the world was included in the March 2016 edition of Seventeen Magazine. Claire Wineland “The Lifesaver” created Claire’s Place Foundation, a nonprofit that provides grants for families while a loved one is in the hospital due to cystic fibrosis.

 
 
 

AUGUST 2016

CLAIRE WAS FEATURED ON THE CW NETWORK SERIES “MY LAST DAYS”

Claire’s story received national attention in the CW Network Series “My Last Days.”

 
 
 

NOVEMBER 2016

CLAIRE SPEAKS AT ZAPPOS ALL HANDS MEETING IN LAS VEGAS, NV

Claire Wineland shares her story about living a proud life beyond disability for the employees of Zappos.com.

 
 
 

2016

PARTNERED WITH ZAPPOS FOR GOOD TO CREATE CLAIRE’S PLACE PLAYROOMS

Planned and guided by Claire, the overall design of each playroom is carefully crafted to meet the unique needs of children who spend extended periods of time in the hospital.

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JULY 25, 2017

CLAIRE STARTS A YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Claire starts a YouTube channel where she shares hundreds of videos about her personal experience living with a chronic illness.

 
 
 

SEPTEMBER 30, 2017

THRIVE: MAKE MONEY MATTER RAISES $178,402.00 FOR CLAIRE’S PLACE

“I was invited to speak at Thrive 2017, which was such an honor. I had no idea the event would change my life,” said Claire’s Place Founder Claire Wineland. “After my talk, Thrive Co-Founders Cole and Sanja Hatter surprised me with a personal donation to support my foundation. They then called upon the audience to open their wallets. In just minutes we raised more money than we have ever raised for Claire’s Place!”

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2017

CLAIRE INSPIRES “FIVE FEET APART”

While working on My Last Days, Claire inspired director Justin Baldoni to write the first major motion picture featuring individuals with cystic fibrosis “Five Feet Apart”. Claire consulted on the script, sat in on table readings, and coached the star Haley Lu Richardson on what it’s like to live with this disease.

 
 
 

June 2018

CLAIRE GETS LISTED FOR A DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANT

While waiting Claire creates a video asking for support from her community. It goes viral and exceeds her wildest dreams culminating with an outpouring of personal financial support. Shortly thereafter, on August 26, 2018, Claire gets “the call” telling her to head immediately to the hospital in San Diego to undergo her transplant surgery.

 
 
 

September 2, 2018

CLAIRE PASSES AWAY

Following her double lung transplant, Claire suffers complications and passes away surrounded by the love of her family. Claire is honored by people and publications around the world for her work for the CF and chronic illness communities, and for her inspirational life-affirming messages to everyone. “Live a life you are proud of.”

 
 
 

September 3, 2018 - Beyond

CLAIRE’S LEGACY LIVES ON AT CLAIRE’S PLACE

Inspired to live proudly, Claire’s friends and fans make a loving difference by supporting the CF community and upholding her legacy through Claire’s Place Foundation.

 
 
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Claire’s Legacy
& Lasting Impact

2021 will mark 10 years since Claire’s Place Foundation was founded by Claire Wineland. At 13 years of age, Claire poured her passion, determination, love, and hope into this organization from the ground up. We are committed to honoring Claire’s vision of creating a safe and supportive space for individuals & families affected by Cystic Fibrosis to find comfort and financial assistance within a loving community.

 

Remembering Claire

Claire meant so much to so many people. Her impact went far beyond the CF community. She taught people how to live their lives outside the fear of death and how to overcome any obstacle. For this reason, we wanted to provide a space where people could share their memories of Claire, how she impacted their lives and what you learned from her brief but wonderful life.

 
 
 
 
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