By: Michael Redmond
The Princeton Area Committee of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation presented "A Breath of Fresh Air" on May 11 at Albemarle, the home of the American Boychoir School in Princeton. The open-house cocktail event with auction was held for the benefit of the foundation, which, in partnership with the University of Chicago, has created a new Research Center of Excellence where a team of dedicated scientists will work to find the cause and cure for pulmonary fibrosis.
Pulmonary fibrosis is a fatal lung disease which strikes five million people worldwide and takes the lives of 40,000 Americans each year as many lives as are lost to breast cancer. It affects both men and women, typically between the ages of 40 and 70. The cause is unknown and symptoms often go undiagnosed.
"So few people know about this disease and yet it takes the lives of so many," said Sandra Bean Lewis of Pennington, co-chair of "A Breath of Fresh Air" along with her sister, Lisa Bean Alberts. Their mother, Judy Bean, has been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, which prompted the family to take action.
"My mother is at peace with her diagnosis and is living each day to the fullest," Ms. Lewis says, "but we refuse to let her go without a fight." With the support of friends and relatives, Ms. Lewis started the foundation’s Princeton Area committee to raise money for the new research facility and raise community awareness about the disease.
Foundation supporters who turned out at Albemarle were given an update on the new research center by Michael Rosenzweig, Ph.D., the foundation’s president and CEO.
Event sponsors included The American Boychoir, The Andover Companies, Ashton-Whyte, Caliper Farms, Fiduciary Trust International, Haddon Plumbing, Haddon RV’s, Henry Bean Insurance, Olympic Airporter, Simply Add Water Design, Amy & Jeff Smith, and Stark & Stark.
For more information on pulmonary fibrosis, visit www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org.
To inquire about the Princeton Area Committee, wrote to Sandra(underscore)[email protected].
