New celebrity ambassador to shine a light on better breathing
The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ is proud to announce Issac Luke, well-known professional rugby league player to their team of celebrity ambassadors.
“Respiratory illness is something that is very close to me and my family. It can be very scary hearing your loved ones, or your teammates struggle with breathing,” says Issac.
“My father has suffered from asthma for most of his life, and for me growing up and hearing the nasty coughing and the struggle to breathe is something that will always haunt me. I now have four kids and two of them have suffered various forms of asthma over the years.”
“As an ambassador I want to raise awareness of asthma and respiratory conditions to all New Zealanders. There is amazing support available to help families deal with all kinds of respiratory problems,” says Issac.
Issac Luke will debut as ambassador on TVOne show Kiwi Living on 8 November at 7.30pm, in a segment demonstrating an asthma test and correct inhaler technique. The segment will also feature Alistair Harsant from “Ironman for Asthma”, his son Jai, show presenter Monty Betham and practice nurse Margaret Matchett.
Issac Luke is a professional rugby league player, originally from Taranaki. In 2007 he moved to Australia to play for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, ultimately winning the 2014 NRL Grand Final Premiership.
Issac was a member of the Kiwis New Zealand National Rugby League team that beat Australia in the 2008 Final to win the World Cup. Issac moved back home to New Zealand this year where he now plays for the Vodafone Warriors, and has just been re-selected for the Kiwis to tour the UK in November.
Television personality Erin Simpson who has been celebrity ambassador for the Foundation since 2014, welcomes Issac Luke on board with enthusiasm. The Foundation’s ambassadors play an important role in the Foundation’s efforts of raising the profile of all respiratory conditions including asthma.
New Zealand has one of the highest rates of respiratory disease in the world. Over 700,000 Kiwis have a respiratory condition, it’s the third leading cause of death and costs the country $5.5 billion each year.
Respiratory disease includes asthma, bronchiectasis, bronchiolitis, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer and obstructive sleep apnoea.
ENDS
Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ
Phone: 04 495 0097
Email: marketing@asthmaandrespiratory.org.nz
For more information visit: asthmaandrespiratory.org.nz
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Quick facts
• Respiratory disease is New Zealand’s third most common cause of death.
• Respiratory disease costs New Zealand more than $5.5 billion every year.
• One in six (over 700,000) New Zealanders live with a respiratory condition, and these rates are worsening.
• Respiratory disease accounts for one in eight of all hospital stays.
• More than half of the people admitted to hospital with a poverty-related condition are there because of a respiratory problem such as asthma, bronchiolitis, acute infection or pneumonia.
• People living in the most deprived households are admitted to hospital for respiratory illness over three times more often than people from the wealthiest areas.
• Across all age groups, hospitalisation rates are much higher for Pacific peoples (2.6 times higher) and Māori (2.1 times higher) than for other ethnic groups (Telfar Barnard et al., 2015).
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