Claire Wineland

Claire Wineland has been living with cystic fibrosis (CF) her entire life. That hasn’t stopped the 19-year-old, though, from giving back with hope, strength, and joy, while making meaning of the journey she’s on. At the age of 13, Claire founded Claire’s Place Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization providing support to children and families also affected by the chronic illness. She’s also the young author of the bestseller Every Breath I Take, Surviving and Thriving with Cystic Fibrosis.

Today Claire uses the podium to spread her unique and inspiring outlook on life – she’s a TedX speaker who has shared her message at leading events across the globe, including PTTOW, the BBYO International Convention (IC) 2016, CES, as well as top universities and companies such as Philips and Klick Health. Through her YouTube channel, The Clairity Project, her video series offers insight into her life and strives to break down social barriers surrounding individuals living with illness.

Claire was selected as a member of the Philips “Breathless Choir” and was a leading face of the campaign that focused on enabling people living with chronic respiratory conditions to fulfill a lifelong dream of singing. The event brought together a group of 18 people in New York for whom breathing is a constant challenge, and documented their journey through a series of films as they conquered their fears and defied everyone's expectations by undertaking the impossible: learning to sing. Claire was named one of Seventeen magazine’s “17 Power Teens” of 2016 and has received multiple awards, including Fox Teen Choice Awards 2015, the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes and winner of Los Angeles Business Journal’s "Small nonprofit of the Year." She has been featured on Inside Edition, The Dr. Oz Show, CNN, Huffington Post, ABC News, Cosmopolitan, People, Ladies' Home Journal and more.