REVISED: Pulmonary Hypertension Association Prepares for Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month this November
Silver Spring, Md. (PRWEB) October 23, 2014 -- This release is an update to the October 21, 2014 release of the same title. It contains updated event information and links.
The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) has designated November as Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Monthand every November we work to light the way to a better tomorrow through research, fundraising and advocacy and awareness of pulmonary hypertension (PH)– a rare and debilitating disease of the lungs that affects the functioning of the heart and can lead to right heart failure. Without treatment, the average survival rate is only 2.8 years.
The Pulmonary Hypertension Association is the country’s leading pulmonary hypertension organization. Its mission is to find ways to prevent and cure pulmonary hypertension and provide hope for the community through support, education, research and advocacy and awareness. PHA does this by connecting and working together with the entire PH community of patients, families and medical professionals. PHA facilitates more than 245 support groups around the country and delivers continuing education for medical professionals through the PHA Online University.
For a small rare disease organization, PHA has seen incredible growth. The number of treating physicians has grown from 100 in 1996 to more than 10,000 today. The treatment of the disease has grown from one FDA approved drug in 1996 to 12 in 2014 with more on the horizon. Three of those treatments were approved in the last quarter of 2013. PH now has as many or more treatments than all but two of the 7,000 identified rare diseases.
The PH community is crucial to the advancement of research and awareness of the disease. “Our mantra is that any person whose life is touched by PH has the right to fight back as much or as little as health and interest will allow. Our job at PHA is to make that possible,” said Rino Aldrighetti, PHA President and CEO. “We are the torch bearers to light the way to a better tomorrow for every person affected by this disease.”
PH Awareness Month is filled with activities that help build community and awareness and PH community members are encouraged to get involved in their local communities by sharing their story, holding awareness month events and participating in national awareness month activities. For information on PH Awareness month, go to: http://www.PHAssociation.org/AwarenessMonth.
Some national events include:
Nov. 1 Color the World Periwinkle Day
Nov. 13 National PH Advocacy Day and Congressional Luncheon
Nov. 18 CTEPH Awareness Day
PHA fights every day for its community of patients, caregivers and medical professionals. Our public service announcements are playing in TV and radio stations across the country and in New York City taxicabs. We have launched PHAware.org to increase awareness of PH and ways for the public to get involved. Please join us in the race for a cure and help take PH From Rare to Everywhere! Like PHAware on Facebook, follow @phaware on Twitter and Instagram, download our mobile app PHAware.mobapp.at and join us PHAware.org..
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Renée Hockaday, Pulmonary Hypertension Assoc., http://www.PHAssociation.org, +1 240-485-0774, [email protected]
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