Breathing As One: Celebrating Lung Month with the Ontario Lung Association
Gord Burwash, patient diagnosed with IPF in 20
Gord Burwash was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) on a vacation with his wife. He was having trouble carrying his suitcase and walking up the stairs. As time went on, even drying off with a towel after showering became an exhausting task. This November, to spread awareness about this rare disease with the Ontario Lung Association, Gord is telling his story with his physician in over 20 printed newspapers across Ontario.
You may have never heard of IPF before. It is an extremely rare and aggressive lung disease that is treated at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton’s Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health. Patients diagnosed with IPF are often expected to live no longer than three to five years, as the scarring on their lungs increases making it more and more difficult to breathe.
Gord is an exception, living with IPF under the supervision of Dr. Martin Kolb, Respirologist at St. Joe’s, for eight years. More hope for this disease is on the horizon, with promising new research resulting in new treatments undergoing testing across the globe.
Also featured in the Ontario Lung Association’s insert is St. Joe’s physician Dr. Gerard Cox (Page 6.) and researcher Dr. Paul O’Bryne (Page 4.).
The Ontario Lung Association’s Breathing As One Insert will appear today (Tuesday, November 4th 2014) in the following publications: (Read it online here)
The Barrie Examiner
The Belleville Intelligencer
The Brantford Expositor
The Kingston Whig Standard
The London Free Press
The Orillia Packet & Times
The Ottawa Sun
The Peterborough Examiner
The Sault Ste Marie Star
The St. Catharines Standard
The St. Thomas Times Journal
The Stratford Marketplace
The Sudbury Star
The Toronto Sun
The Burlington Post
The Etobicoke Guardian
The Etobicoke Times Advocate
The Guelph Mercury
The Hamilton Spectator
The Kitchener/Waterloo Regional Record
Mississauga News
North York Mirror