Public Employee Press

Fighting asthma

Public Health Advisor Anna Marie Berry knows about asthma firsthand. She has been diagnosed with asthma, and her son, Anthony, 17, almost died—twice—from asthma attacks. Recently her grandson, Branden, 4, was diagnosed with the disease.

“This is near and dear to my heart,” said Berry. It’s the reason Berry, a shop steward at the Dept. of Health and the chair of the Local 768 Women’s Committee, is an advocate for the cause and is dedicated to raising both funds and public awareness about asthma.

On Saturday, May 31, she and 15 members of Health Services Employees Local 768 joined DC 37 members for the annual Asthma Walk, sponsored by the American Lung Association. Berry said, “This was our third walkathon. Next year, we hope to get more members out for the cause.”

This year fundraising was boosted by an incentive offered to anyone who raised a minimum of $350 in donations—a two-night, three-day vacation trip to Mexico.

Asthma is a serious lifelong illness that blocks the airways into the lungs. It can be treated with medicine, but if it is not treated, it can be deadly. Asthma happens in families as in Berry’s case, and anyone who has a family member with asthma is at greater risk.

Members of Local 768 screen children across the city for health problems and are aware of the dangers asthma poses, especially since New York City’s high air pollution levels can exacerbate the ailment. One in eight New Yorkers suffers from asthma.

To learn more about the symptoms of asthma and how to develop an Asthma Action Plan, visit the ALA Web site at www.lungusa.org.