Swing 4 the Cure – Wojo PH Golf Classic
The second annual charity golf tournament “Swing 4 the Cure – Wojo PH Golf Classic” is scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. on July 20. The tournament is named in honor of three Orange County residents, all from the Wojciechowski family, who lost their battle with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. 100 percent of the tournament’s proceeds will go to research to find a cure.
Jerry Wojciechowski, a renowned area teacher for more than 15 years in the Saddleback Valley School District, lost his battle in the Spring of 2007. His wife, Betty Lou Wojciechowski, a teacher at La Madera Elementary School in Lake Forest, and friends and family coordinated this fundraising event with all proceeds being donated to finding a cure for this rare genetic disorder which strikes people of all ages regardless of age, race or gender. Betty Lou and Jerry also lost two sons at ages 4 and 24 to this deadly disease.
Pulmonary hypertension is a rare blood vessel disorder of the lungs in which the pressure in the pulmonary artery (the blood vessel that leads from the heart to the lungs) rises above normal levels and may become life threatening. As research continues with the help of grants and charitable contributions, the length of survival is continuing to improve, with some patients able to manage the disorder for 15 to 20 years or longer.
“Pulmonary hypertension is frequently misdiagnosed and often has progressed to a late stage before it is accurately diagnosed,” said PHA president, Rino Aldrighetti. “Pulmonary hypertension has been historically chronic and incurable with a poor survival rate. However, thanks to donations from these types of charity events, research continues and new treatments are discovered and have become available which have significantly improved prognosis.”
Orange County has more than 75 residents battling this disease. Mission Hospital offers a safe emergency environment for PH patients, as it has conducted extensive training for Emergency Department, ICU and Cardiac Intensive Care Unit personnel as well as floor nurses regarding treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension and management of delivery systems for medications.
The hospital also offers a Pulmonary Rehabilitation program and hosts the local Orange County PH Support Group at the Mission Conference Center. The next meeting of this support group is scheduled for Sat., July 11 from 11a.m. to 2 p.m. Darlene Martin FNP, family nurse practitioner of Actelion Phamaceuticals, Inc, will speak on “Life with PAH” and all are welcome to attend. Contact bettylouwojo@
“Jerry battled the disease for more than13 years and continued to teach for at least 10 of those years,” said Betty Lou Wojciechowski, the “Swing 4 the Cure” board chair. “It’
To register for the “Swing 4 the Cure – Wojo PH Golf Classic,” please visit http://www.swing4thecure.us/
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
