With an estimated 75 million people, across the globe, suffering from Pulmonary Hypertension (PH), it is still frequently mis or undiagnosed, with no cure beyond organ transplants.
The rare disease that has prevalence of 10% to 68% in Africa is marked by many symptoms, including breathlessness, lung conditions and asthma.
As the world celebrates World Pulmonary Hypertension Day 2023 on Thursday, the #GetMeTo21 campaign is again raising awareness of this life-threatening disease and organ donation drive in SA to prioritise the lives of PH patients around the world.
The campaign was launched nearly a decade ago by Cape Town born PH patient Jenna Lowe.
To celebrate the day, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association of South Africa (PHA SA) together with the Jenna Lowe Trust will be hosting South Africa’s first-ever PH Patients’ Perspective Symposium, on May 13, at the Faircape Health Estate in Tokai Estate in Cape Town.
The conference will bring together both local and international experts in the diagnosis, treatment and management of PH.
Director of the Jenna Lowe Trust, and mother of Jenna, Gabi Lowe said her daughter’s story has helped to galvanise advocacy for more engagement from the medical community to determine improvements in PH care and accessibility to treatments.
“We are true believers in the power of patient stories to bring about positive change. Her story will live on, now in the form of the documentary which will soon have a global platform.
“In addition, by putting patients at the centre of South Africa’s first PH Symposium, we are building on Jenna’s legacy of courage and hope in the face of a cruel disease to focus attention on the urgent need for improved patient outcomes,” said Gabi.
“This is an opportunity to raise further awareness of the importance of improving their access to medications and support equipment, as well as the role of rehabilitation such as physiotherapy in improving their quality of life.”
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