Aliza Bran
abran@susandavis.com
(202) 414-0798
WASHINGTON (April 2015) – As a new baseball season starts, LUNGevity Foundation today announced the Baltimore Orioles as the April LUNGevity Hero for their active participation and support in the quest to end lung cancer.
The Orioles long-standing commitment began as a tribute to their former public relations director and LUNGevity advocate, Monica Barlow, who died from lung cancer in 2014 at the age of 36. The Orioles turned their grief into action, raising awareness and vital research funds for the disease.
The Orioles have raised awareness about lung cancer and LUNGevity by wearing LUNGevity t-shirts during Spring Training, donating proceeds from their 2014 playoff winnings, and hosting LUNGevity’s annual Breathe Deep Baltimore walk at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. In advance of LUNGevity’s Baltimore walk, the Orioles enthusiastically promoted the walk through radio interviews, television game broadcasts, stadium announcements, and Jumbotron promotions, and more, to encourage the entire community to join them. Management and individual players also got involved. Orioles Manager Buck Showalter spoke at Breathe Deep Baltimore, broadcaster for the Baltimore Orioles on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network Jim Hunter introduced and emceed the event, then rightfielder Nick Markakis named LUNGevity as the charity of his choice for Major League Baseball's "Strike Out Cancer Day" initiative, and first baseman Chris Davis donated $100 to LUNGevity for every home run he hit in the 2014 season. The Oriole Bird, Baltimore’s beloved mascot, also joined the effort, donning a LUNGevity bow tie with FOX broadcaster Ken Rosenthal in support of lung cancer research. Their efforts encouraged Major League Baseball to select LUNGevity as the beneficiary of their 2014 Winter Meeting Auction, which raised more than $176,000.
“We are honored to name the Orioles the LUNGevity Hero for the month of April and lucky to count the team as a dedicated ally in the quest to end lung cancer. The Orioles are the first professional sports team to fully embrace the challenge of changing outcomes for lung cancer. Their strong participation and energetic support are making a real impact, and inspiring hope and pride in our community. They are true heroes,” said Andrea Ferris, president and chairman of LUNGevity Foundation.
For more on the Baltimore Orioles, see the LUNGevity Heroes blog at www.LUNGevity.org/heroes-blog.
For more information on LUNGevity Foundation, please visit www.LUNGevity.org.
About Lung Cancer
- 1 in 15 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime
- More than 224,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year
- About 60% of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers
- Lung cancer kills more people than the next three cancers (colorectal, breast, and pancreatic) combined
- Only 17% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, BUT if it’s caught before it spreads, the chance for 5-year survival improves dramatically
About LUNGevity Foundation
LUNGevity Foundation is firmly committed to making an immediate impact on increasing quality of life and survivorship of people with lung cancer by accelerating research into early detection and more effective treatments, as well as by providing community, support, and education for all those affected by the disease. Our vision is a world where no one dies of lung cancer. For more information about LUNGevity Foundation, please visit www.LUNGevity.org.