“It’s a lung disease you’re born with. It can affect your lungs. Since there’s mucus in my lungs, it makes it harder to breathe and do stuff. I can’t do stuff other people can do. I have to do treatments every day to help loosen that mucus,” she said.

She said she’s got good days and days where she’s in the hospital. The Cystic Firbosis Foundation reports about 40,000 children and adults in the United States live with the disease. Burdine’s mother, Tara Collopy, said it’s something that impacts people in different extremes.

“If you see Rilley she looks like any other child and you would never know but on the inside, she is fighting the CF with the lungs and the pancreas and the liver disease that’s all associated with it whereas other children with it that have other forms of it that have G Tubes they have feeding tubes, they have weight issues and their hospitalizations can last 2 days to 48 days to months,” Collopy said.

But each year, Burdine and her parents gather with other organizers and community members at Sand Run Baptist Church in Hebron area to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation — helping Rilley and others who take on the same battle each day living with CF. Collopy said they do this to help with research and the search for a cure. Saturday was the 7th annual car show at the church, where unique and vintage cars lined up with vendors and raffles were held to all raise money for the cause.

“When we have people come out and share and donate and help raise all this awareness and funding — it’s a great cause. It’s a great feeling,” Collopy said.

Burdine said she’s grateful to have everyone come out each year to give to the cause and be willing to learn about CF.

“I’m just thankful for this church to do this and for my mom and dad being there for me and all my family and friends supporting me along the way in my journey,” she said.