The Pulse: August 2014

Run/Walk for Research in Ajax, ON
On Sunday, July 27th, Renae Mohammed (pictured below) hosted a

Run/Walk for Research on the Ajax Lakefront trail. They also handed out informational materials from PHA Canada. This Run/Walk was held in honour of Renae’s mother, who was diagnosed with IPAH 5 years ago. From Renae: "Sunday July 27th was a beautiful day for the first ever PHA Canada Run/Walk For Research, in Ajax, ON. 72 people and 4 dogs enjoyed a nice run/walk along the beautiful lakefront trail. There were also refreshments and a prize raffle. The fundraiser was very successful. Our goal was to raise $500, and we raised $5815 (and counting) for PHA Canada!! Thank you to everyone who came out to support the cause: I'm looking forward to this being an annual event!"
We are thrilled that Renae’s fundraiser is the very first to contribute to PHA Canada’s brand new research fund. Congratulations to Renae and her team for a fantastic fundraising effort!

Last chance to stay subscribed to The Pulse!
On July 1^st, new Canadian anti-spam legislation came into effect. The new laws surrounding spam mean that if PHA Canada doesn’t have your explicit consent, we cannot contact you by email. After this edition of the Pulse e-newsletter, we will only be emailing those who have opted in to receiving our communications. Please click the “I consent” button below to remain on our contact list.

If you do not click, we will be unable to contact you electronically. To opt back in to our e-newsletters, please re-subscribe on our website.

Staff Changes
PHA Canada wants to say an enormous thank you to two very important people who have positively impacted our work over the past months.
Russell Bonaguro completed his Master’s of Public Health practicum at PHA Canada in July. Russell advanced PHA Canada’s Early Diagnosis campaign by building a framework which will support the project going forward. Stay tuned for an Early Diagnosis website and a focus on Early Diagnosis for November Awareness Month! Thank you to Russell for his fantastic contributions.

Tarya Laviolette joined PHA Canada in January of this year as our Community Relations & Volunteer Coordinator. Tarya made an incredible impact through her work in connecting and strengthening our community of patients and caregivers, bringing in countless volunteers to support or mission and creating ties with other organizations. Tarya has been offered a role at the BC Nurses Union, which sadly means that she will be moving on from PHA Canada. We’re excited for everything that this new role will bring for Tarya. She will be missed!

PHA Canada is currently hiring for the role of Community Relations & Volunteer Coordinator. If you or anyone you know may be interested in this role, please examine the job description and apply today at phacanada.ca/careers. The deadline for applications is August 7th.

Advocacy Training
Ryan Clarke is the founder of Advocacy Solutions, and has trained thousands of Canadians in how to make their voices heard. Ryan has also offered several trainings to PHA Canada members across Canada who have raved about his expertise. PHA Canada is pleased to be able to offer advocacy training via Ryan Clarke to any groups who may be interested! Please contact Angie at aknott@phacanada.ca for more information.

Baked Battered Mushrooms
Enjoy a “patio meal” during the heat of August without all the fat! After a high fat meal, it has been shown that blood flow can slow down by up to 20% - this lessens the amount of oxygen being transported to the lungs. (reference: John McDougall, MD Internal Medicine). Check out wholicious.net to get “fork smart”.

Ingredients
White mushrooms – 15-20 medium
Whole grain bread- 4 slices
Yellow corn meal- ½ C
Garlic powder – 1tSp, Onion powder – 1 tSp
Unsweetened almond milk – 1 cup

Steps
Prepare breadcrumbs by toasting bread until brown and dry, and then use a food processor to pulse the bread into crumbs. Transfer to a bowl and whisk together the corn meal, garlic powder and onion powder. Build a dipping station using three bowls: 1 filled with almond milk, 1 with breadcrumbs, and 1 with the corn meal mixture. Dip mushrooms in this order: almond milk, corn meal mixture, almond milk again, and then breadcrumbs. Once mushrooms are evenly coated, Place battered mushrooms on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 mins and then turn over and cook 10-15 mins more or until golden brown. Alternatively, instead of mushrooms, try zucchini wedges, red bell pepper strips, onion rings!
Ed. note: ensure to select whole grain bread which is low in sodium.

Systemic Sclerosis Patients At Higher Risk To Develop PAH
A team of over twenty researchers recently found that patients with systemic sclerosis are at high risk to develop pulmonary arterial hypertension(PAH).
Tom Lantos Innovation in Community Service Awards Given by Pulmonary Hypertension Association to Advance Awareness of Rare Lung Disease
The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) has awarded 13 committed community activists funding for projects to raise awareness of pulmonary hypertension.
Pulmonary Hypertension in Infants: Subcutaneous Treprostinil?
Subcutaneous treprostinil (SCTre) is an effective second-line therapy for former premature infants who have chronic lung disease and severe pulmonary hypertension.

For more PH news: www.phacanada.ca/news
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/phacanada
Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/PHACanada