Support Breathing Space

The Cause

The Lung Association’s YYC Powered By Breathing™ (PBB) Fun Walk/Run event:

The Lung Association is hosting an annual fundraising event called the PBB Fun Walk/Run, which is organized by a volunteer committee in Calgary comprised of SAIT Respiratory Therapy students. These students are passionate about their chosen profession and want nothing more than to support those in their community who are afflicted by the burdens of lung disease.

The goal of this particular Fun Walk/Run event is to advance our public awareness campaign known as “Powered by Breathing”and raise funds to develop the first ever lung health and recovery house known as Breathing Space. Being a non-profit and volunteer led charity, we rely heavily on our partnerships and local community businesses to raise funds for Breathing Space. The “Powered by Breathing Fun Walk/Run” event is set to be held on August 10th, 2019 at Bowness Park with the fundraising goal of $30,000.

For more information on Breathing Space: https://www.ab.lung.ca/what-we-do/breathing-space

Who Will it Benefit?

Currently, Edmonton’s University of Alberta Hospital is the only site for lung transplants in Alberta, and over 60% of these patients live outside of Edmonton. As such, most lung transplant patients in Alberta have to leave their home and job to live near the hospital for a minimum of three months and up to one year for their surgery and recovery. This can create an additional stress and financial burden on the patients and their families. The lung transplant program in Edmonton services folks from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, northern BC and even into other parts of Canada and the Northwest United States.

Therefore, The Lung Association is raising funds through the PBB Run/Walk event to build Breathing Space in Edmonton to support lung transplant patients. This facility would be the first ever lung health and recovery house of its kind in Canada. While not a medical facility, it would be designed to meet the unique health, mental and emotional needs of lung transplant patients, their families and caregivers. Besides providing a residence for patients and their caregivers, it will provide education and support for many more individuals and families who are dealing with lung health issues.