Asthma Awareness Week 2021 virtual fundraiser launched

The Asthma Society of Ireland today launched their ALK supported Love Your Lungs Virtual Fundraiser as part of Asthma Awareness Week, which takes place from 1-8 May, 2021 supported by asthmatic and asthma ambassador comedian Rory O'Connor.

Over 380,000 people in Ireland have asthma and one in five people (an estimated 890,000) are likely to develop the condition at some point in their lifetime. The past year has been a particularly worrying time for those with asthma and their families. As COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, it is vital that people with asthma are in control of their condition and so, Asthma Awareness Week 2021’s overarching objective is to focus on the importance of good asthma management to prevent asthma deaths.

As a result of the ongoing pandemic, the fundraising efforts of the Asthma Society have been extremely curtailed for over a year. Longstanding events and fundraisers have been cancelled and for the second year in a row, we are launching our main event of the year virtually. We are encouraging people to support our crucial services by signing up to our ‘Love Your Lungs’ virtual walk, which takes place over the course of seven days, and asks supporters to step up to the challenge of contributing daily steps in order to fundraise on behalf of the Asthma Society.

Sarah O’Connor, CEO of the Asthma Society of Ireland said, “If you have asthma, are caring for someone with asthma, or even know of someone with asthma, we’re asking you to sign up for the Asthma Society’s Love Your Lungs Virtual Walk.

Depending on your level of fitness, you can contribute your steps each day via your fitbit tracker or manually via iDonate and help us smash our target. Whether you can stroll 5,000 per day or stride 70,000 steps in the week, we need your help to keep our crucial services open.

Our Asthma Adviceline and nurse-led WhatsApp messaging services have been inundated with calls for the past year with 4,416 appointments with respiratory nurses who have been on hand to support patients and alleviate stress for callers throughout the pandemic.

Every donation helps, so if you can’t participate yourself please donate via asthma.ie or sponsor someone who is participating. Every step, every fundraising effort and every contribution counts.”

How to get involved

Participants are asked to register via iDonate (include link) for the entry fee of €15. Then, during Asthma Awareness Week, they sync their fitbit or log their steps manually on the dedicated iDonate step tracker to collectively reach our target of 10,000,000 (10 million) steps.

Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. This is doubly true for people with asthma. Exercise can help improve lung capacity and even reduce frequency and/or severity of asthma symptoms. Depending on their level of fitness or chosen activity, participants can challenge themselves to stroll 5,000 steps each day, stretch 10,000 steps each day or stride 15,000 steps each day during Asthma Awareness Week 2021.

Participants are urged to spread the word by following the email prompt to invite their friends to sign up and to support the challenge by tagging @asthmasocietyireland using the #LoveYourLungs hashtag on their social posts.

You can download and print a virtual race number free of charge to brand your efforts on-the-go. Participants can also become members of the Asthma Community to receive the latest news, events and updates from the Asthma Society at no charge. There will also be an option to sign up as a regular donor to the Asthma Society.

If any person, for health or other reasons, can’t walk or run – they can still log whatever steps they can manage and donate or they can undertake other activities to fundraise for the Asthma Society. For more information about the campaign and updates about Asthma Awareness Week 2021, please visit www.asthma.ie or keep an eye on our social channels.