HCI College EMS Team Raises Over $4400 For Lung Disease
On Saturday, March 6th 2021, HCI College EMS Team climbed all 915 steps at the Hard Rock Stadium as part of the Fight for Air Climb Miami to raise money and awareness for lung cancer and all lung diseases, including COVID-19. This year HCI College’s EMS Team raised over $4400 for the American Lung Association and was the fastest climbing team at 00:17:58. Not only were they the fastest team, but they also ranked third in the top fundraising companies.
The HCI College EMS team was comprised of 22 competitors, including the wife of Peter Berger, EMS Program Director, at HCI College Fort Lauderdale, who was not able to climb this year due to hip surgery. Berger was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, in 2008 and discovered the Fight for Air Climb three years ago. Each year he climbs for others who cannot, and the last two years he has challenged his students to join him. This year his wife and students ended up climbing for him.
Berger stated: “Everybody knows somebody who has been affected by something with the lungs. Our lungs are one of the more important organs in our body and we can’t take them for granted. We have to protect these organs because once they are damaged, they are damaged for good. I love the work that the American Lung Association is doing. It has opened my eyes about the importance of education. We all know about COVID-19, but you don’t really know until you see it. I lost my 96-year-old uncle to COVID. I know that the Lung Association has been on top of COVID-19 education and they are investing to research.”
This year the Fight for Air Climb Miami was a little different than previous years. For the safety of participants, staff, and volunteers, the American Lung Association moved the event outdoors to the Hard Rock Stadium. This year the Fight for Air Climb Miami raised over $138,000 to support their efforts to fight lung cancer and lung disease, as well as the organization’s new COVID-19 Action Initiative.
For more information about the American Lung Association visit lung.org.
