American Lung Association
“We watched my son suffer so much because of asthma,” said Samantha Hall. “Kevin was cheated out of a normal childhood. He had a very poor quality of life”.
And Kevin isn’t the only one. Asthma kills approximately 4,000 people each year, and an estimated 22 million Americans are sick with the chronic lung disease.
“When we want to go for an outing I have to be totally aware of weather and environmental surroundings,” says Renee, a single mother with two other children, both older than Kevin. “When I visit other people, I have to make sure that they don’t have pets and no one in the home smokes. Vacations require a lot of preparations. I have to make sure that I inform the doctor. I always have to know where the closest hospital is.” Kevin missed 72 days of school last year because of asthma. “I’ve been struggling with this for so long, and the Lung Association has been just phenomenal. They’ve gotten me with the right people who care, and who are very knowledgeable about asthma. I feel better knowing that there are people out there who are trying to find a cure for asthma.”
To help people like the Hall family, the American Lung Association hosted the Blow the Whistle on Asthma Walk at the University of Tampa Saturday, April 19.
The money raised will help do many things:
*fund clinical research,
* support the Open Airways for school programs, which will teach children how to prevent and manage this illness,
*pay for one week at the Boggy Creek summer camp, and
*provide medication for those who are in need, which will hopefully prevent people from suffering, like Kevin Hall did.
The American Lung Association was founded in 1904 and is the oldest charitable health organization in the United States. Their overall mission is to promote lung health and prevent lung diseases with basic clinical research. The association provides educational programs about air quality, smoking, tobacco use, asthma and other lung diseases.
“The American Lung Association has helped us educate those around us about asthma. The annual kickoff luncheon has helped our family introduce extended family and friends,” said Maria Angelos. “Forty-one of them walked with us last year.”
Walkers strolled three miles through campus.
The American Lung Association of Florida hoped for a total of $60,000 in donations. The money was raised in two ways: by event sponsorship donations from corporations and donations collected by those participants.
To learn more visit the American Lung Association at www.lungusa.org
Asthma Fact Box by the American Lung Association
WHAT IS ASTHMA?
