Calling All Superheroes for the 15th Annual Race Against PH 5K

15th Annual Race Against PH 5K

Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015

Stanford University, Calif.

Registration Fee: $35 per person

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Wednesday Oct. 28, 2015

The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) California Chapter has a limited number of entries for the 15th Annual Race Against PH 5K on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. Support your local chapter and help raise vital funds to support our mission.

Raise $250 or more for PHA and receive a special "I'm a Hero" T-shirt to wear on race day to show your support of PHA.

Form a team with your co-workers, friends and family! The top fundraising team for PHA will receive superhero capes for all registered team members!!

Don't delay! Register now to become a hero!

Announcing the New PHANews

PHA is pleased to launch PHANews.org, a new source of PH health news, which officially launches in November. PHANews.org will provide the latest on PH news and PHA’s events, advocacy programs and upcoming public awareness campaign. PHANews.org is the next evolution of PHANews, PHA’s weekly newsletter, which was the brainchild of Sally Maddox, a member of PHA's Board of Trustees, who started then bi-weekly publication in 1999.

If you’re not one of the 10,000+ subscribers to the free weekly newsletter, now’s the time to sign up!

The new PHANews.org will continue this tradition, with a weekly e-newsletter that delivers featured web content to email subscribers, while also offering a host of new features.

Both the PHANews website and e-newsletter have been redesigned to offer easy access to the information you need on mobile phones and tablets as well as desktop computers. And in addition to the inspiring PHA community stories and events listings that have been a staple of PHANews, you'll also find new articles on health and research news, and headlines that show how the wider world of news media is talking about pulmonary hypertension and PHA.

Make sure you are subscribed to receive the PHANews e-newsletter each week!

Chloe Temtchine Performs at Second 2015 Breathe Food Truck and Music Concert Series

On Wednesday, Oct. 14, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., Chloe Temtchine took to the (truck) stage for the second time as part of the 2015 Breathe Food Truck and Music Concert Series in New York City to raise funds and awareness for pulmonary hypertension. This second performance took place in New York City's Financial District.

Upcoming performances will take place in Midtown Manhattan on Thursday, Oct. 22, and in Brooklyn on Friday, Oct. 23. Learn more about the series.

PHA received sponsorship support for the 2015 Breathe Concert Series from Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. and Bayer HealthCare.

PHA Staff Member Runs Bank of America Chicago Marathon as Part of Team O2 breathe

This past Sunday, Oct. 11, PHA's PHCC Program Manager, Olivia Onyeador, ran the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, as a member of Team O2 breathe. She finished with an amazing time of 05:25:09.

Olivia (second from left) stopped midway to
grab a photo with the PHA Midwest Staff.

Olivia has always been a fighter. After sustaining multiple sports-related knee injuries, she has worked hard to get back to a healthy state: “In 2008, after my second (of three) knee surgeries, the doctors told me I might not be able to walk or have feeling in my right leg again because the nerve damage was so extensive.” After months of rehabilitation, she regained control of her leg and was eventually able to complete a half marathon a few years later.

When Olivia learned about Team O2 breathe’s participation in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, she believed that this event would be “the perfect chance to help the PH community through direct fundraising as well as my own physical efforts in a larger scale endurance event.” Team O2 breathe allows members of the PH community to participate in endurance events, such as a 5K, swim, triathlon, or one of the “charity partner events,” to raise funds and awareness for PH.

In preparation for the race, Olivia often thought of the strength of those she is helping at PHA. “Their drive embodies something a past sports coach (Brian Pensky, head coach of University of Tennessee Women’s Soccer) said to my team: ‘You are a part of something bigger than yourself.’ That mirrors my exact sentiments about PHA and the community we serve,” Olivia says. “The people surrounding me encourage me to push the limits because they never stop striving to surpass their own. I am doing this because PH patients have taught me what it means to be resilient.” 

Visit Olivia’s fundraising page to show her your support!

PHA Chapters Honor Key Individuals Across the Country

The Pulmonary Hypertension Association would not be where it is today were it not for the countless healthcare professionals, volunteers, patients and other community members who go above and beyond in order to better the entire PH community. PHA strives to take every opportunity to honor and thank those who truly do amazing things for the community and the future of this disease. By mid-November, the four PHA chapters will have honored five individuals, respective to each geographical chapter area, who have made a tremendous impact on the national and global PH community.

Kathy Eberwein and PHA Executive 

Vice President, Carl Hicks

On Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, the Lone Star Chapter hosted its inaugural O2 breathe gala in which they honored an individual who is a “PH Warrior” – Kathy Eberwein. Kathy, CEO of the Global Edge Consultants, watched as her father battled for every breath. Ultimately, her father lost his battle with PH four years ago. While others might turn away from the struggle against this disease in grief, Kathy faced the challenge head-on, pledging to help others battling this disease. “She epitomizes each and every one of the core values of Texas Executive Women, and she does it with an unexcelled grace and ease that is beyond exceptional,” says PHA Executive Vice President Carl Hicks.

Dr. Ronald Oudiz

On Friday, Oct. 30, 2015, the California Chapter will honor Dr. Ronald Oudiz, of Harbor UCLA Medical Center, at the Hallowood Affair on the grounds of a historic grand estate in Los Angeles, Calif. Dr. Oudiz will receive the California Chapter’s 2015 Legacy Award for his contributions to the pulmonary hypertension field. In 2011 Dr. Oudiz, a member of PHA’s Scientific Leadership Council, received the Pulmonary Hypertension Association Award of Excellence in PAH Care. He is a past editor-in-chief of PHA’s medical journal Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension, and he is the current editor of Pulmonary Hypertension: A Patient’s Survival Guide.
          

At the Greater New York and Philadelphia Chapter’s Third Annual O2 breathe Gala on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015, the chapter will honor two members of the community who have made a difference. Dr. Erika Berman-Rosenzweig, Medical Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Center at Columbia University Medical Center - New York Presbyterian, will receive the Robyn J. Barst Award, while Dr. Farng-Yang Foo, a PH patient and associate professor in neurology at NYU Langone Medical Center, will receive the O2 breathe Award.

Dr. Erika Berman-Rosenzweig is considered an international expert in the field of pulmonary hypertension. She has been an active member of PHA and is currently on the PHA Board of Trustees, Chair of the Review Committee for the PH Care Center Accreditation Program, Chair–elect of the Scientific Leadership Council of PHA, and past Editor-in Chief of the medical journal Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension.

Diagnosed his second year in medical school, Dr. Farng-Yang Foo has lived with PH for 17 years now. He has been active in fundraising for PHA for many years. He states his greatest accomplishment is raising his 2-year-old Xian and 8-month-old Jia.

                          

                            Dr. Erika Berman-Rosenzweig

              

                     Dr. Farng-Yang Foo

                                                                   
                
              



                                                               
    

Lastly, the Midwest Chapter will host its Second Annual O2 breathe Hearts PHor Hope Gala on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015, where they will honor Dr. Murali Chakinala with the 2015 Heart PHor Hope Legacy Award. Dr. Chakinala is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo. He is a member of PHA’s Scientific Leadership Council, the guiding body for PHA’s clinical, research and medical education activities, and also recently served as 2015 PHA on the Road: PH Patients and Families Education Forum Regional Committee Co-Chair for St. Louis.

Dr. Murali Chakinala

                                              _____________________________

Can you think of someone in the PHA community who deserves to be honored for their hard work? If so, you can nominate them to be a Periwinkle Pioneer for Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month. Learn more and nominate someone today!

PHA on the Road's Final 2015 Forum

This past Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, PHA on the Road brought free education and support to patients, caregivers and family members in Phoenix, Ariz. This coming Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, will mark the program's final forum of 2015, as PHA visits St. Louis, Mo.

This patient-focused program offers interactive presentations, educational sessions and networking opportunities for patients, caregivers and PH medical experts in the region. In order to bring this opportunity to as many people in the PH community as possible, registration for this event has been extended until tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 8. On-site registration will be available, but is not guaranteed. Register or learn more.

PH Patient is Only Person to Complete All Four Midwest O2 breathe Quarter Marathons

Braving driving rain and unseasonably cold weather, Mark Deprez was one of more than 125 attendees who helped support PHA and the PHA Midwest Chapter at the Second Annual Indy O2 breathe Quarter Marathon, 5K & Fun Walk this past Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015. Mark, a patient diagnosed with PH more than 20 years ago by Dr. Stuart Rich, was the only person at the event who had also completed the other three Quarter Marathons in this series.

Mark Deprez crosses the finish line at Second Annual
Indy O2 breathe Quarter Marathon, with his wife Cheryl by his side.

Mark grew up in the Indianapolis area and now resides outside Detroit where he both works as an employee and is treated at Beaumont Health. Thanks to Mark and his fellow attendees, Saturday’s Quarter Marathon raised well over $21,000 for the PH case. The other Quarter Marathons in the series took place in Milwaukee, Wis.; Detroit, Mich.; and Chicago, Ill., over the past few months. Mark had the support of his team, "Mark's PHighters for PHA,” cheering him on at each event.