Support Team PH this Season of Giving

November 20,2024

A little over four years ago I collapsed in my bedroom and almost died.  I was rushed to the hospital where I was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a disease with no cure.  After a sixteen-day stay in the ICU, I was sent home and my family was told, unbeknownst to me, I had three to six months to live.   It was then that I had a choice to make.  Succumb to the disease, or fight.  I chose to fight.  

In the days, weeks, and months after leaving the hospital, walking became my biggest ally. A short walk in the neighborhood soon turned into a mile, then two miles, and eventually I was walking longer and longer distances.  I found that walking helped get me through the miserable side effects attributed to the medications, it assisted in keeping me mentally fresh and provided me so many additional benefits. And still does to this day.  And with the help of a team of great doctors, nurses, a strict nutrition and exercise plan, a focus on mental health, and an amazing support group filled with family, friends and neighbors, a group I call my village, I am proud to say that I am alive and doing well.  

However, as members of the pulmonary hypertension (PH) community, we know firsthand that this is not the case for many PH patients. And the fight is not easy, and the daily struggle to survive is real. Some patients are alone and cannot get themselves to the doctor for care, some are having trouble dealing with the mental health effects associated with living with a terminal disease, some can barely afford to put dinner on the table, while others are having a hard time taking that first step. Thank goodness for Team PHenomenal Hope!  

Through programs like Let Me Be Your Lungs and the Meaghan Hicks Fund for Unmet Needs, Team PH offers the critical programs and assistance to those patients living with PH, and helps families whose loved ones are struggling with the expenses associated with battling this disease. So please consider making a tax-deductible donation this holiday season to Team PHenomenal Hope as it truly will help our friends living with PH and their families the most. You can donate today at teamph.org/donate.

Truly yours,

Eric “EB” Borstein

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