DETROIT – Do you have what it takes to climb Comerica Park?
Roughly a thousand people answered “Yes.”
Kathy Minns woke up early Sunday morning to climb stairs.
“Anybody could do it. You can walk this. You can run this. But you can make a difference,” Minns said.
Comerica Park served as the perfect backdrop for the Fight for Air Climb, the American Lung Association’s signature event for raising money for lung health education, advocacy, and lifesaving research.
The climb occurs at a critical time, as the organization’s State of the Air reports Detroit is the sixth worst city in the nation for year-round particle pollution.
Brittany Sinzinger, executive director of Midland States for the American Lung Association, believes the climb re-enforces the need to boot lung health education. ‘
“That’s super important because there are over one million people in Detroit who have lung disease,” she said.
The day featured a power hour where climbers completed as many laps as possible in 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, firefighters took on another challenge: wearing their gear.
“It’s important to us. I mean, all these guys are participating,” said Dave Basile, a retired firefighter from the Troy Fire Dept.
The rest of the participants tackle the stadium course.
In all three courses, the finish line is just the beginning for research funding. Each step makes a difference, often without climbers knowing how it will touch the lives of others, like Karen Undieme.
“When I was diagnosed, the first thing my doctor told me was because of the research done and the new treatment, I had a way better chance of survival than I would’ve five years prior,” says Undieme, a stage 3 lung cancer survivor.
Her personal connection to the cause is why she went to Washington, D.C., to advocate for lung health among the offices of Senators Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin.
People climb for various reasons: in memory of someone, raising awareness of lung disease, or advocating for better air quality. For the climbers, it’s a fight worth taking a stand on.
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