Edmonton’s Chris Sadleir is preparing for the Walk to Breathe Driven by House of Cars, a 500 km walk from Lethbridge to Edmonton to raise funds and awareness for the Lung Association of Alberta & Northwest Territories.
Currently, Sadleir is training by walking every day after work, and prior to the Walk to Breathe beginning July 7, he will be walking up to 30 km a day.
“It’s going to be tough to do, I just need to make sure I’m in shape,” Sadleir said.
In addition to training, Sadleir is continuing to raise funds and raise awareness for the Lung Association of Alberta & Northwest Territories, with a goal of raising $50,000.
“Fundraising has been going well, we’re just shy of $20,000. If I can hit the halfway mark before I start walking, I’ll be a happy guy,” Sadleir said.
Last year, Sadleir completed an 11-day, trek from Calgary to Edmonton to support those dealing with lung disease and increase awareness of its far-reaching effects.
“A lot of people, including myself thought that was a once in a lifetime thing to raise awareness, raise funds and do something good. I never ruled out doing it another year, I needed time to recuperate, I wanted to do it again this year, do it further, longer, and wanted to raise some more money,” Sadleir said.
Sadleir was inspired to complete the Walk to Breathe and honour his father, a double-lung transplant recipient.
“My father was having a lot of trouble breathing, he was fatigued all the time, we chalked it up to him getting older, it got worse and worse he was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), which is a scaring of the lungs. There’s no known cause for it and no known cure, the only cure is a double lung transplant,” Sadleir said.
As Sadleir gets closer to the July 7 Walk to Breathe start date, he is looking forward to the finish line.
“I’m really looking forward to what happened last year, meeting people and hearing their stories. The whole experience has made me a better person overall. I’m truly appreciative,” Sadleir said.
Going forward, Sadleir wants Albertans to support the Lung Association of Alberta & Northwest Territories, as one in five Albertans within their lifetime will experience some form of lung disease.
“When you’re struggling to breathe, there’s nothing harder than waiting for that call to come in. I want everybody, and every community to support. It’s not an old person’s disease, it’s not a smoker’s disease. It affects the young, old, healthy, and it will affect you or someone you know,” Sadleir said.
“There’s a misconception that lung disease is an old smoker’s disease, that is such a narrow scope, and could not be further from the truth,” he said.
Adding, “It’s vital to raise funds, and get people to donate to the cause, will raise awareness for what’s going on. Lung disease isn’t going away, and we’re trying to get the word out there.”
For more information visit, and to donate, visit, https://www.ab.lung.ca/walktobreathe.
