5 Ways You Can Raise Awareness of Pulmonary Hypertension

Being diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension can be extremely difficult. Readjusting your life after diagnosis can be tricky, but there are several things you can do to ease the transition. Educating yourself (and those around you) is one thing you could — and should —do.

Official World PH Day is May 12, but one day isn’t enough. There are a lot of ways you can help raise awareness all year long. To get you started, we’ve put together a list of tips from blogger Serena Lawrence on how you can help spread the word about PH.

1. Sharing is caring
With social media, it can be very easy to share videos that explain the severity of pulmonary hypertension and the impact the disease can make on someone’s life. PH associations and other organizations often make quick media clips that show the impact of pulmonary hypertension, while also explaining what it is. Sharing these powerful videos is a great way to get others engaged and educated.

2. The more you know
Educating the public about pulmonary hypertension can be a powerful thing. The more people who are aware of pulmonary hypertension, the more people there are who understand what patients are going through. Once they understand the severity of the disease, people may be more inclined to help with awareness or fundraising efforts.

MORE: Here are seven facts about pulmonary arterial hypertension you might find interesting.

3. Fundraising
Raising funds for pulmonary hypertension not only helps provide more funding, but it can also help raise awareness of pulmonary hypertension. Sometimes fundraising can sound intimidating, but there are many different approaches and styles to raising money.

The fundraising opportunities are endless: you can set up a gala, a golf tournament, a lemonade or apple cider stand, sell T-shirts, jewelry, or just share a link to a PH association or organization for which  you would like to raise money.

4. Open up
I have found that by opening up and sharing my experience, more people are able to engage and connect to my story. By sharing the difficulties and challenges I face, more people have a general understanding of what it’s like to live with pulmonary hypertension. Compassionate understanding for diseases such as this one will encourage others to help as we try to raise awareness and money for this rare disease.

5. Challenge your friends
A great way to get others to participate is by challenging your friends and family to get involved. There are several challenges people have used to raise awareness for PH, such as The Straw Test, The Blue Lips Challenge, or the #AHeartCures video challenge.

MORE: What exactly is pulmonary hypertension?

Read Serena’s original article with six ways to raise awareness during Pulmonary Hypertension Month.

Pulmonary Hypertension News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.