Christine’s Story: The Power of the Narrative

This blog post was written by Nicole Crawford, GillespieHall’s American Lung Association Account Executive.

I met Christine Brader at an event in Harrisburg, Pa.  The American Lung Association was sponsoring Advocacy Day, a legislative push for every single Pennsylvanian to be protected from secondhand smoke.  Ms. Brader was quiet and unassuming.  She was small in size, but full of an all-encompassing grace.  Most of her jaw was missing, but she kept a smile on her face the entire time.  “I almost left my children orphans,” she said.

Christine was a survivor of oral cancer.  Now a CDC spokesperson for its tobacco prevention and control campaign, she spoke of her journey with humility.  “I’m very, very happy to be alive and talking to you today, because not so long ago, I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d be alive,” she said before describing surgery that left half of her jaw gone and an intense, lengthy recovery after a third diagnosis of cancer.  She had been a smoker most of her life.  At the close of her speech, everyone stood with applause.

High school students were among the backdrop with huge signs that read “Clean Indoor Air. No Exemptions,” and legislators spoke on clean indoor air with drive and passion, but no one left more of an impact on Advocacy Day than Christine Brader. She was the personal story behind the cause. 

Christine Brader, with GH's Nicole Crawford (ALA Account Executive) and Clara Swanson (ALA/Healthy Air Social Media Behaviorist)

What are you breathing?

The American Lung Association released its 13^th annual State of the Air report on April 25. It’s a classic good news/bad news story.

The good news? There has been great progress in cleaning up air pollution across the U.S., thanks to the Clean Air Act. Twenty two of the 25 cities with the most ozone pollution improved their air quality over the past year’s report. And all but two cities with the most year-round particle pollution (sometimes called soot) improved over the previous report.

The bad news? More than 127 million people—41 percent of the nation—live in counties with air pollution levels that are too often dangerous to breathe.

You can check the air pollution levels in your county with this widget. Just enter your zip code in the box.

GillespieHall does a lot of work with the American Lung Association of the Mid-Atlantic. Many ALA staffers have very personal reasons for the work they do. And many of us here at GH have friends and family members whose lives have been affected by lung disease.

Breathing is one of those things that you take for granted, until you or someone you’re close to struggles to breathe.

Join the American Lung Association in its fight for clean air. Contact your members of Congress and ask them to support the Clean Air Act—including standing up against any actions to weaken, block or delay full implementation of this lifesaving law.