(Alberta Lung website)

By Alessia Proietti

July 17 - September 4

Walk to Breathe fundraiser begins: goal to build Canada’s first lung transplant recovery centre

Jul 17, 2023 | 2:45 PM

The annual ‘Walk to Breathe’ fundraiser is kicking off today with the goal of building Canada’s first lung transplant recovery home.

The Virtual Move Challenge encourages participants to be physically active from July 17-September 4 while raising funds for research, care, and support for those affected by lung disease.

Organizer Alberta Lung, a non-profit charity surrounding lung health, says 20 per cent of Albertans live with the challenges of lung and respiratory diseases each year. They say 85,000 children in the province under 14 years of age have asthma and one Albertan enters an emergency room with an asthma attack every 15 minutes.

The campaign was conceptualized in 2020 by Edmonton’s Chris Sadleir whose father, Rob, became a double-lung transplant recipient. In 2014, Rob was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), a serious lung disease that causes scar tissue to build up inside of the lung, making it difficult to breathe. His only option was to undergo a double lung transplant, which he received after a two-year wait.

“Being able to breathe independently again, after two years, was incredibly emotional,” he said.

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To raise funds and awareness, Chris walked from Calgary to Edmonton one year and began from Lethbridge the next. Since 2020, he has raised over $100,000 through the Walk to Breathe campaign.

READ: Sadlier reaches Lacombe in Lethbridge-Edmonton “Walk to Breathe”

This year’s goal is to raise $100,000 more, according to the charity’s website.

Alberta Lung states the donations have gone towards one of their boldest initiative yet – the Breathing Space.

They say the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton is one of only four transplant centres in the country that performs all solid organ transplants.

However, roughly 77 per cent of Albertans live outside the Edmonton Region, resulting in an out-of-pocket expense for those moving into the city for a lung transplant as it is not covered by healthcare.

“It is very often a significant hardship for patients, so some choose death over bankrupting their families,” the charity said in a release.

Described as a home-away-from-home for lung transplant patients and their families, they say the new facility and its programs will give patients “breathing space” to regain their strength and vitality after surgery, without having to invest financially.

Funds raised through the campaign will also support other Alberta Lung programs, running since 1939:

• Breathe Smart! Education Program
• Pediatric CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) Program Financial Assistance for Medications
• Lung Disease Research
• Radon Awareness Program
• Aero Chamber Program
• CPAP Refurbishment Program

Interested participants of all fitness levels can join the campaign for free by registering through their Facebook group and completing any physical activity of their choosing.

“Every breath, step and move minute counts,” said Alberta Lung in a statement.