Help Peter raise money

When I suited up for Team Asthma in the Falmouth Road Race last year I was running for Laura, my late wife, whom I lost to a tragic asthma attack in 2016. But this year I’m adding another very important name to my race shirt:  my girlfriend Gabriella's.

Gabriella is smart, caring, at times fiery (proudly owed to some Sicilian blood), and loves hiking and running as much as I do. Last fall her runs and hikes started to feel a lot harder, though. She started to get shortness of breath even when going at a normal pace. We went to her pulmonologist, who put her through a battery of tests. “I think it’s asthma,” he finally said.

I felt scared, foremost for her, but also for me.

What were the odds, I asked myself?

Unfortunately, higher than you might think. Nearly 10 percent of all women in the U.S. are diagnosed with asthma, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Massachusetts has one of the highest incidence rates in the country, with 11.7 percent of all adults (women and men) being diagnosed. You can contract asthma at any age.

Gabriella has handled her diagnosis with strength and practicality. Her inhalers (two different kinds) have allowed her to continue exercising almost without issue. She doesn’t feel symptoms every day and attacks have been rare and none have been severe. If she feels any problems we talk about it immediately. She’s even going to run Falmouth alongside me as one of the newest members of our charity asthma team -- I'm so proud of her.

The race is just around the corner, Sunday, August 20. I hope you can make a small donation to our team, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, New England Chapter. (AAFANE) You've found my donation page, and here's the link to Gabriella’s — it’s all going to the same place so feel free to pick either of us to help us achieve our goals!

Thank you for supporting this important cause, and for remembering Laura.

Sincerely, Pete

"Losing Laura" is our story in the Boston Globe

Facts about adult onset asthma are on AAFANE's website

Laura's warning about September Asthma Peak Week (9/16-9/23)