Dear Asthma Advocates,

If you are receiving this message, I know that you care about lung disease-especially the increasing cases of asthma that affects the Chicagoland Collar Counties. One of our Hospital Sponsors this year is Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, which provided me with these alarming statistics:

In 2005, there were 146,281 admissions, not including infants. Out of those admissions, 4,926 were due to asthma. That is 1.9% of their entire year.

AND THIS IS JUST ONE SUBURBAN HOSPITAL!

Why am I telling you this? Because I believe that asthma matters, and we need your help in resolving this problem.

How can you help?

Join us this Sunday, October 1, 8:30 a.m. at either Oak Brook Corporate Headquarters, or in Batavia at the Peg Bond center. If you have not registered, please let us know that you are coming. You can register on-line at www.lungil.org, you can call us at 630.260.9600, or you can fax your registration to us at 630.260.1111

If you CANNOT walk our very short 5K event this Sunday, we still need your help! Please consider a tax-deductible donation to the American Lung Association of Illinois today! You can donate to the walk on-line or mail a check to us at: 1749 S. Naperville Rd. Suite 202, Wheaton, Il 60187 Your donations are the only way we will be able to raise the necessary support to fund vital research initiatives on a national and on a local level to find a cure for asthma.

Remember, if you can’t breathe, nothing else matters. There has never been a more true statement, don’t you agree?

Thank you for your support. I will see you on Sunday!

Sally A. Ruecking
Vice President, Chicagoland
American Lung Association of Illinois