LEGACY

Christopher’s Legacy for a Future Free from Lung Disease

Christopher Cahlamer and his family are no strangers to the effects of asthma and other lung diseases. So, when Christopher’s wife Natalie found a flyer for the American Lung Association’s Fight for Air Climb, he knew it was the perfect opportunity to make an impact for a cause that is deeply personal to him. Since 2010, his team has done 13 straight climbs raising a total of $126,000 for the Lung Association.

Following his participation in the Fight for Air Climb, Christopher joined the Wisconsin Local Leadership Board and the Upper Midwest Regional Board. In these roles, he aims to connect others to the Lung Association and help them realize their own impact for the cause.

He tells us, “Unfortunately, our mission is both a blessing and a curse… It’s a blessing in that you realize just how many people the Lung Association impacts, and the curse being — boy, lung disease really impacts a lot of people.”

To help secure a future free from lung disease, Christopher decided to create his legacy through the Lung Association’s Legacy Challenge.

Participating in the Challenge enabled Christopher to honor the memory of his grandmother through a gift in his will that costs him nothing now. When asked what he would say to someone who was considering a legacy commitment to the Lung Association, he tells us:
“One, it’s an easy process… Two, it’s flexible. We can make an initial contribution now, and we’ll certainly evaluate increasing that over time.”

Victory in the Youth Vaping Epidemic

The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine recently reported troubling evidence about our country’s youth vaping epidemic.

Using data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, they found that young users (aged 18–24 years) who used e-cigarettes reported respiratory symptoms including wheezing in the chest, difficulty breathing during exercise, and coughing at night. Notably, tobacco flavored e-cigarette users had 170%greater odds of developing any respiratory symptom, and users of cartridge-based devices
(like Juul) had 136% greater odds of developing any respiratory symptom compared to never users, which appears to be worse than users of disposable or tank-based devices.
This study adds to the growing list of scientific data that shows that no e-cigarette is safe, and that younger e-cigarette users are at significant risk for lasting respiratory disease.
On June 23, 2022, the FDA made an important announcement banning all Juul vaping products from being sold in the U.S. President and CEO of the American Lung Association, Harold Wimmer issued a statement in response:

“Today’s announcement is long overdue and most welcome. The American Lung Association commends the FDA for following the science and denying Juul the ability to sell its products that are clearly marketed to addict a new generation of youth to tobacco.”

Update on the American Lung Association Legacy Challenge

At the beginning of the year, we issued a challenge to American Lung Association supporters to create a legacy that unburdens future generations from the effects of lung disease.

To date we have achieved 25% of our $50,000 goal and are so thankful for the supporters who have helped us to-date.
Christopher Cahlamer, Board Member of the Wisconsin Local Leadership Board, is one such supporter. He says about his participation in the Challenge:
“Our executive director, Megan Cordova, reached out and said, ‘Hey, let’s take
on this Challenge as a Local Leadership Board.’ To the extent that I can take advantage of this program for the benefit of the Lung Association and lead by example, I think that goes a long way. It’s a quick and easy process.”

Finding Why Lung Disease Develops

Your support has helped to pioneer a nationwide study that follows 4,000 young, healthy adults to paint a clearer picture of lung health and the factors involved with predicting and preventing lung disease.

What is the Lung Health Cohort Study?

The American Lung Association Lung Health Cohort is a study funded through federal grant and donor support that aims to determine factors contributing toward lung disease development. With the findings from this landmark study, the American Lung Association anticipates gaining invaluable insight into how lung disease develops, and more importantly, how to then use that information to prevent future generations from being affected by this disease.

How You Can Help

There are many ways to get involved and help the Lung Association in its mission to improve lung health. You can…

• Watch the video at Legacy.Lung.org/2022-fall-newsletter.
• Encourage the young adults in your life to participate in the Lung Health Cohort study by visiting Lung.org/research/lung-health-cohort-study.
• Explore ways to create your legacy for the next generation. You can help realize a future free from lung disease for the young people you love. Visit Legacy.Lung.org to get started.