DRIVE4COPD Takes Awareness to the Streets
Physically tired and emotionally enriched, five celebrities crossed the finish line yesterday on DRIVE4COPD, a four-day race to raise awareness about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The event featured NASCAR phenomenon Danica Patrick, actor Jim Belushi, Olympic Gold medalist Bruce Jenner, Grammy Award-winning country music star Patty Loveless and former pro football great Michael Strahan.
On Saturday, Feb. 13, the drivers started at Daytona International Speedway in Florida and then traveled a collective 6,000 miles across different parts of the country to participate in 14 screening events in major cities. The campaign, which wrapped up Feb. 16, was designed to reach millions of people who don’t realize they may be at risk for COPD, organizers said. Event attendees completed a five-question screening test and were encouraged to contact their physicians depending on the results.
Each of the celebrities participated because they had been touched in some way by COPD. “I remember how my grandma struggled to breathe and how it limited her life,” said Patrick, whose grandmother suffered from emphysema. Patty Loveless, whose sister died of emphysema at 48, wrote an original theme song for the event called “Drive.”
DRIVE4COPD was co-sponsored by the American Lung Association, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, COPD Foundation and NASCAR. Check out fun photos from the road and hear Loveless’ song at www.drive4copd.com.