The CF Community & the Chase for a Cure: Bijal P. Trivedi’s “Breath from Salt”
In this episode, we talk with science journalist Bijal Trivedi, author of “Breath from Salt,” the definitive and surprisingly human account of how families, scientists, and clinicians helped transform cystic fibrosis (CF) from a fatal childhood disease into one of the greatest success stories in modern medicine. Joining the conversation is Kate O’Donnell, president of the Joey Fund and sister of Joey O’Donnell, whose life and legacy helped inspire one of the most powerful fundraising movements in the CF community.
Bijal shares the story behind the book—how a single interview with Joey’s parents, Joe and Kathy O’Donnell, revealed a much bigger narrative about relentless parents, brilliant scientists, bold philanthropy and the power of community that helped drive breakthroughs like the development of CFTR modulators like Trikafta. Kate reflects on growing up in a family shaped by CF advocacy, what it means to carry that legacy forward, and how the community continues pushing toward treatments for everyone.
We talk about the messy, human side of scientific progress: false starts, competing egos, impossible odds, and the moments when one insight can change everything. We also explore the infrastructure that helped make those breakthroughs possible—from centralized CF care centers to the patient registry that allowed researchers to track mutations, outcomes, and treatments across an entire community.
Finally, we explore the questions the CF community is asking now: how the story evolves as people live longer, how to support those still waiting for therapies and why the work isn’t finished yet.
Also in the episode: trips to the morgue, dark humor and a very special appearance by an English bulldog named Beans.
Bijal P. Trivedi is the author of Breath from Salt: A Deadly Genetic Disease, a New Era in Science, and the Patients and Families Who Changed Medicine Forever, which Bill Gates described on his blog as one of the top books for 2020.
Bijal is the former senior science editor for National Geographic, and former science editor for The Conversation. Her stories have appeared in National Geographic, Scientific American, Discover, New Scientist, and others.
She is the inaugural recipient of the Sharon Begley Science Reporting Award, and a 2025 recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. Bijal is now working on her next book, A Ghost in the Bloodline.
Kate O’Donnell is a businessperson and philanthropist, with experience in digital marketing, investing, and engagement.
For the past 10 years, Kate has served as president of the Joey Fund, which was founded in 1986 by her parents, Joe and Kathy O’Donnell, in honor of their son Joey who died of CF. The Joey Fund, in partnership with the CF Foundation, has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to advance the Foundation’s mission, including through its signature event, the annual Joey O’Donnell Film Premiere in Boston.
Since 2021, Kate has been at Belmont Capital, LLC, a venture capital and private equity firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Previously, she served as the assistant director of Student and Young Alumni Engagement at Harvard Business School, and as a creative strategist for Snap, Inc.
Kate has been a volunteer for the Foundation for more than 20 years and served as co-chair of the 2023 Volunteer Leadership Conference. Since 2018, she has served as chair of the Tomorrow’s Leaders group for the Massachusetts/Rhode Island chapter, engaging young professionals in the Foundation’s mission.
She is a member of the Newborn Medicine and Reproductive Health Advisory Board at Brigham and Women's Hospital and serves on the Corporate Leadership Council of the Perkins School for the Blind.
Kate holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an A.B. in English from Harvard. She lives in Boston with her husband, Ryan, and their English Bulldog, Beans.