Big awards on Tuesday night

Big awards on Tuesday night

Asthma and Respiratory Foundation Inc

16 November, 2007

Let’s acknowledge the achievements of a group of positive people with respiratory conditions that are often underestimated.

The 2007 Asthma and Respiratory Achievers’ Awards are being held at Government House in Wellington this coming Tuesday, 20 November, 2007. from 6pm (all journalists will be allowed in with photo identification. Just call Malcolm on 027 62 52 835. Photos of Supreme Achievers and from Tuesday night, the Awards, available on request).

Eight Supreme Achievers will be presented with trophies by the Governor-General, His Excellency, Anand Satyanand.

Award winners this time round include a woman with serious asthma who is a world champion aerobic gymnast and a man with 40 percent lung capacity who’s walked around his home city seven times. Then there’s a man who’s on oxygen 24 hours a day, who is flying to Wellington from Rotorua, a woman with bad asthma who’s swum Cook Strait and a young girl with asthma whose academic success, sports achievements and participation in her secondary school community reflect what a truly brilliant youngster she is.

Earlier in the year nominations for the awards were sought around the country and 150- plus New Zealanders who don’t let their asthma or respiratory conditions hold them back were nominated by their whanau, friends, teachers, workmates and the Asthma and Respiratory organisations at the regional and local levels.

Our judging panels including a number of celebrities and medical experts, sports achieverspeople and prominent Māori found it hard to choose between some very deserving nominees.

“We’re really excited by this pretty diverse group of people whose stories make really good reading because they don’t let their respiratory conditions rule their lives,” says Foundation Executive Director, Jane Patterson.

“A number of these people have been very sick with respiratory conditions and although technology and science are helping people a lot it’s not just a matter of using your inhaler if you have asthma, for example. One in four New Zealand children has asthma and asthma is still responsible for the highest number of hospital admissions among kiwi kids.”

ENDS

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