Two days after the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA)’s first live mini-concert, the event to bring awareness to pulmonary hypertension (PH) continues to draw viewers. The Facebook Live concert, which served as the finale for PHA’s World PH Day-launched month-long awareness drive, drew more than 1,500 live attendees on facebook.com/PulmonaryHypertensionAssociation to watch celebrity champion Chloe Temtchine debut her new single, RISE.
Temtchine, based in Los Angeles, has battled PH for about nine years. Propelled to YouTube fame as a vocalist, guitarist and pianist, she performs tethered to an oxygen canister, which she has affectionately named Steve Martin. Temtchine was misdiagnosed for five years before officially being diagnosed with PH on March 4, 2013.
Including the live guests, Temtchine’s 30-minute concert and question and answer session, Tuesday, May 30, has received more than 4,500 views. During the live event, more than 239 people commented or asked questions and another 234 engaged with PHA with likes, loves and Facebook emojis. More than 90 people shared the social media event with their friends.
PH is characterized by increased pressure in the blood vessels of the lungs, which can lead to death from right-heart failure. Common PH symptoms are non-specific and can include shortness of breath, fatigue and chest pain. Consequently, this complex disease is often misdiagnosed, leading to delays in proper treatment and costing patients valuable time. PH can present alone or with other illnesses, including congestive heart disease, connective tissue disorders, COPD and many other diseases. It affects infants, children and adults of all races and ethnic backgrounds. With early and accurate diagnosis, PH treatments can extend and improve the quality of life for many people living with the disease. However, there are no approved PH treatments for children.
PHA’s May awareness drive included social media, digital advertising and celebrity involvement. In addition to Temtchine, PHA celebrity ambassador Terrence J participated in the campaign through social media messaging and digital public service ads (PSAs) that included a video posted on YouTube and Facebook that has received more than 75,000 views. In addition, national recording artist and PHA celebrity champion Traci Braxton, who stars alongside her family in the WE tv hit reality show Braxton Family Values, appeared in digital PSAs. Traci’s sister, Grammy Award winning artist Toni Braxton, has lupus; her son has rheumatoid arthritis; and her sister, national recording artist Tamar Braxton-Herbert, has battled pulmonary emboli (PE), blood clots in the lungs. Researchers find up to 9 percent of lupus patients also have PH and while rare, PH can also be a complication of rheumatoid arthritis. One form of PH, Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), is believed to occur in up to 4 percent of patients who suffer from an acute PE.
