PHA’s ‘Beauty’ and ‘Beast’ Battle for O₂breathe Bragging Rights

A tale as old as time: good old-fashioned competition between co-workers.

Two of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association’s own, Kevin Heyen and Pat Reilly, recently competed for the most money raised and best 5K time at the Chicago O₂Breathe Walk and 5K. Their Beauty vs. the Beast challenge raised about $2,300.

Overall, the Sept. 9 event raised $12,848 for PHA services and programs.

Reilly (Team Beauty) outraised Heyen (Team Beast) by $11. However, during the 5K, Heyen entered Beast mode and won with a time of 28:11.

The O₂Breathe walk in Lincoln Park attracted about 100 people from the Chicago area, including Jennalyn Fulham. She participated with her family in honor of her son Benji, who passed away Aug. 8. She said she loved connecting with the other attendees and PHA staff.

“The amount of support and awareness really made my heart full,” Fulham said. “Everyone knew about the cause and had their own stories and memories. This is just the first of many years that I will do this walk and honor my son’s legacy.”

Fulham was among the three highest fundraising participants, along with Lauren Jensen and Reilly. Top fundraising teams included CVS Specialty, Nancy Jane Gang and Team Beast.

Community events, like O₂Breathe walks, are some of the ways you can support PHA’s efforts to extend and improve the lives of those affected by PH. Our next O₂Breathe walks are Sunday, Oct. 8 in Columbus, Ohio, and Sunday, Oct. 15 in Baltimore.