The FMC building and 2929 Arch Street shined blue on Sept. 3 for pulmonary fibrosis awareness.
In September, Jamie Lederer, MSN, CRNP, a nurse practitioner with the Interstitial Lung Disease Program at the Harron Lung Center, worked with several Philadelphia landmarks to cast blue lights in support of patients with pulmonary fibrosis.
Liberty Place, the Ben Franklin Bridge, 2929 Arch Street, the Philadelphia International Airport, the Wanamaker building, Lincoln Financial Field, the Wells Fargo Center, the FMC building, and Penn’s own HUP Pavilion all participated.
Pulmonary fibrosis means scarring of the lung – and it isn’t just one disease. It is a family of more than 200 different lung diseases that all look very much alike.
“Our patients in the clinic have rare diseases that many of them had not heard of until their diagnosis. It can be lonely and it can be frustrating for them to tell family and friends about their diagnosis and for their loved ones to have never heard about it,” Lederer said. “I love that a night of blue lights in Philadelphia gave us the opportunity to say to our patients, ‘We are here with you, we are advocating for you, and we are working with you to raise awareness.’”