Journey to the Center of the Lung

I recently took a fascinating ride on the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Shuttle: Journey to the Center of the Human Lung.  What a great ride!   It was a quick 3-D journey through the human body and into the lungs where I saw how smoke and other things in our environment contribute to COPD.  COPD is the fourth largest cause of death and it will soon be the third largest killer.    

COPD is personal for me because my father and his brother both passed away from pulmonary fibrosis--scarring of the lungs. I am proud to work for a healthcare company that's working hard every day to increase awareness about the many forms of lung disease including, COPD.  During the ride it was easy for me to see why patients with COPD struggle to breathe. Thankfully there are medicines available which provide appropriate treatment for their lung disease.

Thanks to the collaborative efforts of GSK's Respiratory Marketing team and the COPD Foundation more than 500 of my GSK colleagues at our Research Triangle Park (RTP) Campus in North Carolina, also took the amazing shuttle ride.  Like me, they were able to see the devastating effects smoking and air pollutants have on our lungs.

I am thrilled that GSK was able to bring "Journey to the Center of the Lung" to our RTP campus to educate employees in an entertaining venue to help improve COPD awareness. If you're interested in catching a ride on the COPD shuttle yourself, check out www.copdfoundation.org