Walk raises awareness of incurable lung disease

The 3rd Annual Robert Davidson Walk for Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF), to be held in Unionville, will honour the legacy of the founder of the Canadian PF Foundation (CPFF).

The walk will be held Saturday, Sept. 21 as part of PF Month to help raise awareness of PF, a debilitating and incurable lung disease that damages and scars lung tissue irreversibly and reduces oxygen flow to the body.

Davidson founded the CPFF in 2009, less than two years after his own idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis diagnosis and a few months before receiving a double-lung transplant. He died in 2019 at age 71.

In its first 10 years, CPFF raised more than $1 million to invest in research, established clinical fellowships, began support groups across Canada, developed a Canadian Patient Charter and successfully advocated for improved access to anti-fibrotic medications in every province and territory.

PF affects approximately 30,000 people in Canada. During PF Month, the CPFF is shining a light on the promise of impending medical breakthroughs that offer new hope for thousands of Canadians suffering from this disease. Innovative new treatments and medications are being developed to reduce coughs and stop or potentially reverse lung damage caused by PF, giving hope where there has traditionally been little. Those advances hold the potential to significantly improve the quality of life for those affected by this devastating lung disease.

The Robert Davidson Walk for Pulmonary Fibrosis will be held at Toogood Pond Park across the street from The Church of the Nazarene at 218 Main S. Donations are appreciated but aren’t mandatory to participate in the walk. Click here to register, to donate or pledge a participant.

Check-in and children’s activities begin at 10 a.m., followed by a welcome message and opening stretch at 10:45 a.m. The walk begins a 11 a.m. Participants can walk around Toogood Pond, walk a portion of the 1.7-kilometre loop, make multiple laps or sit and cheer others on. Participants are invited to enjoy a complimentary lunch at the Unionville Arms Pub & Grill. Donations to cover the cost of your lunch are welcome. Same-day registrants receive lunch with a $10 donation.

Visit the CPFF website to learn more about PF.