The Asthma and Allergy Foundation has launched a new fundraising campaign to deliver a one-year project supporting youngsters living with the condition in Edinburgh and Lothian.
The Foundation supports thousands of families throughout Scotland every year.
But the plan to launch a new initiative in the Capital follows a £10,000 donation from the Hospital Saturday Fund. The charity also received start-up money from a family in the area who tragically lost their son to the respiratory condition.
AAF chief executive Martina Chukwuma-Ezike said: “We already support people living with asthma in the central belt but have recently been developing deeper ties with sufferers and their families in Edinburgh and Lothian.”
“We first received a £5,000 donation from a couple who lost their 17-year-old son from an asthma attack. They asked if we could provide practical support to try and prevent another family going through what they have. It was heart-breaking.
“And to receive a further £10,000 from the HSF is another massive boost to our work in Edinburgh and Lothian. ‘My Breath Is My Life’ project provides practical, hands-on support and advice for families of sufferers struggling to cope. We have already had great success in other parts of the country.”
Martina, who is also rector of the University of Aberdeen, was talking a week after the charity revealed that 96 people in Scotland died from asthma last year. Worryingly, almost 70 per cent of cases were women.
Martina added: “There are so many different issues affecting the 400,000 people in Scotland living with asthma, whether poverty, poor housing, air pollution, lack of awareness and education, and just generally failing to get asthma under control.
“Scotland is failing on this front every single year. It is our mission to ensure that nobody dies needlessly from this condition. Every death from asthma represents a massive waste of human potential and we believe that with increased support for families, more education about what to do if someone suffers an asthma attack, and increased engagement with politicians and policy-makers, we can make a difference.”
Donate now to support the campaign https://www.justgiving.com/asthma-allergyfoundation
Businesses and individuals can support the new ‘My Breath Is My Life’ project in Edinburgh by calling 01224 973001 or email info@asthmaandallergy.org.uk
Businesses and individuals can support the new ‘My Breath Is My Life’ project in Edinburgh by calling 01224 973001 or email info@asthmaandallergy.org.uk