The streamers have fallen and the ball has dropped. 2017 is off to a fast start.
The beginning of a new year is a great time to try something new or start healthier habits. Below are 3 resolutions to make the PAH community happier and healthier.
1. Get Involved
The PAH community is an amazing group of committed and devoted patients, caregivers and supporters. Not only do they raise fund and awareness for pulmonary arterial hypertension, they raise hope for thousands of PAH patients and families. But they need help.
There are tons of ways to get involved.
- Fundraisers such as PAH walks and events
- Support groups – both live and virtual
- PHA (Pulmonary Hypertension Association) patient conference
Your local PAH Comprehensive Care Center is a great place to start to get information about upcoming events. If you are new to the events start small and pick one event to go to. If it isn’t for you, try another. If you have been a regular at PAH events perhaps 2017 is the year for you to try volunteering.
2. Invite a Friend
Are you a PAH patient that attends support groups or fundraisers regularly? Awesome! Now it is time to invite a friend. The friend could be another PAH patient that you talked to in the waiting room at the doctors office or a personal friend that may not know much about PAH. Growing the community helps increase the support it can provide and raises awareness of the disease. Raising awareness is important so that patients aren’t under or misdiagnosed and it helps secure funding for research and patient support.
2016 was a scary time for many PH patients that lost grants to pay for expensive pulmonary hypertension therapies when two large charitable foundations ran out of funds. Help raise awareness of PAH and the expense of PAH therapies to increase the funds these charitable foundations have to work with.
3. Learn Something New
Whether you are a newly diagnosed pulmonary hypertension patient or seasoned PAH expert there is always something new to learn about PAH. New research is continuously being pursued, new treatments continuously studied, and new articles continuously published. Knowledge is power so talk with your doctor about any new studies or therapies, read a new article, or listen to a new talk.
