(Pictured above: Lung Association Staff, St. Mary's students, staff and clinician team, Double Vision performers, Julie Baggio - Trudell Medical International, Gary Beaudin and Diane Boyko - Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Board)

Asthma is a chronic (life-time) disease that makes the lungs very sensitive and hard to breathe. In every classroom, there is a good chance that several students will have asthma.  

Sponsored by SaskTel TelCare, The Lung Association Saskatchewan in partnership with the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Division and St. Mary’s Pediatric Clinic, hosted an Asthma Magic Show featuring Double Vision magicians for the students at St. Mary’s Wellness and Education Centre.  The world famous duo amazed the staff and students with their magic tricks while educating them about asthma, the common, yet serious lung disease. 

St. Mary’s Community School is the first in Canada to have an in-school pediatric clinic.  The clinic is a partnership between the Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools, the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine and the Saskatoon Tribal Council. The Lung Association provides breathing tests (spirometry) and asthma education to the students and families at the clinic, and we are proud to partner and provide service.

Trudell Medical International representative , Julie Baggio, was also in attendance at the event and was acknowledged for providing The Lung Association and St. Mary’s clinic with 200 AeroChambers a year, for the next three years (600 in total).  The AeroChamber assists those with asthma who are using a metered-dose inhaler to receive all of the necessary medication inside the lungs allowing them to breathe easier. 

We are grateful to our partners and sponsors for their support in making this magical event happen. 

(Pictured: Saskatchewan double lung transplant recipients)

We invite anyone whose treatment plan has or will involve a lung transplant to join our private online Facebook Support group.  Caregivers and family members are also invited to join.

The purpose of the group is to provide a forum where patients and caregivers can come together in a safe environment to network, share experiences and resources, and offer support to each other.

The group is here to help you and your family navigate the many steps on your transplant journey - from pre-transplant assessment through to living well and leading a healthy life post-transplant.

(Pictured: Josh Websdale)

Josh Websdale is an athlete. Josh also has asthma. Read Josh’s story.

As a child, I was in and out of the hospital a lot for asthma. My pediatrician couldn't control my asthma and my symptoms were getting worse and worse. On top of this, I was very active and loved to run around and play. There was all sort of limitations on what I could do with my asthma. Almost anything could trigger an asthma attack. Pollen, grass, dust, animals, etc. Finally, it seemed that I had found a solution. I began taking a new medication, and my symptoms became easier to deal with. I began to make a habit of taking my medication so I could run around and play. From regularly taking my inhalers, I began to become more consistent in other things. I started to make a habit of other daily things. Studying, taking care of my body, exercising, eating well. These all became part of my daily routine. Now that I’m an adult, I look back at my habits with pride. My asthma and overall health would not be where it is today without creating good habits at a young age.

(Pictured: MegaBounce participants post-run)

To all our sponsors, donors, volunteers and the nearly 400 brave participants who came out and took part in the first-ever MegaBounce, THANK YOU! The weather may not have been the best, but you all came out and had a Mega-great time raising money for The Lung Association patient support programs. Check out our Facebook page to see the fun everyone had!

(Pictured: Emergency Ryde teams - left, Ryde under the Fireworks participants - right)

Our 2nd Annual Breathe-911-Ryde event was a blast…and not just because it was part of this year’s Nutrien Fireworks Festival. We had service personnel from Saskatoon Police Service, Saskatoon Fire Department, as well as members from our medical community including nurses, respirology doctors and our most important guests, Lung Association volunteer patient advocates who live with lung disease every day. Together everyone took part in a healthy Spin Off, check out our Facebook page to see photographs from the Ryde and who took the winners award home!

As a member of the Canadian Free Wills Network, The Lung Association, Saskatchewan is pleased to offer a free Will or an update to an existing Will to our supporters. We are able to do so through the generosity of participating lawyers across Saskatchewan.

This is your chance to have a simple Will prepared and if you wish to do so, include a legacy gift to The Lung Association, Saskatchewan. 

Having an up-to-date Will prepared by a lawyer is the only way to ensure that your future wishes will be carried out as you intended. It is also a wonderful way to advance lung health in the province and support many future generations to breathe easier.

For more information please contact Renata Huyghebaert at Renata.Huyghebaert@sk.lung.ca or call 1-306-667-3045