More than 100 from across the region tackled flights of stairs to scale one of Albany's skyscrapers. As our Dayana Perez reports, the challenge was all for a good cause.
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ALBANY, N.Y. -- It's a race that has dozens running vertical to the finish line. The challenge? Going up all 20 floors of the Commerce Plaza in Albany.
“Our mission is to save lives by promoting lung health and preventing lung disease," said American Lung Association's Kathleen O'Neill.
Teams and individuals hit the staircase as part of the fourth annual American Lung Association’s fight for air stair climb fundraiser. All proceeds from the event goes towards research, education and advocacy programs for lung disease.
According to the lung association, more than 35 million Americans suffer from lung disease; 2.5 million of them live in New York. Many who participated say they have been directly affected by it. Their motivation on taking on the challenge is to pay homage to those who currently have lung disease or have lost their lives because of it.
“I lost a long time friend and neighbor a few years ago and I just lost a client and my dad has COPD," said participant Joanne Ferrara.
Joanne says her father who's 85 years old always took care of himself by exercising and taking vitamins in his adulthood but smoked when he was younger and only five years ago was diagnosed with COPD, also known as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, a progressive disorder which makes it difficult to breathe.
"I actually have pictures with me of my dad, friend and client to inspire me to get up those steps", Ferrara said.
She did make it to the top, like many who used their personal experiences as the driving force to climb Albany's eleventh tallest skyscraper.