Nov. 9, 2017 – Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) celebrity champion and YouTube sensation Chloe Temtchine is demonstrating that she has the right heart to give this November as she observes Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month. In support of awareness month and the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA)’s newly-launched year-long The Right Heart™ awareness campaign, Temtchine is dedicating the November 2017 proceeds from her new album – Lead me Home – to PHA.
The Right Heart is a national awareness campaign to inform the public about pulmonary hypertension (PH), a progressive, life-threatening disease that is often misdiagnosed and can cause right heart failure and death. Temtchine was misdiagnosed for five years before doctors confirmed she has PH. The guitarist and vocalist, whose videos have nearly five million YouTube views, performs tethered to her portable oxygen canister —which she affectionately calls Steve Martin.
PH, which affects adults and children of all ages and ethnic backgrounds, results in high blood pressure of the lungs when the arteries in the lungs become blocked, damaged, narrowed or stiffened. The disease forces the right side of the heart to pump harder and can lead to right heart failure and death. Symptoms of PH are non-specific and include shortness of breath, fatigue and chest pain. Consequently, people with PH can go months, sometimes years, believing they have asthma or other less life-threatening illnesses. Early and accurate diagnosis is vital for every patient suspected of having PH. Targeted treatments are available for two forms of PH — pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) —that can extend and improve the quality of life for people living with the disease.
Lead me Home is a compilation of songs about life and love. The title song, “Lead Me Home,” is about the will to live and never losing faith. “I consider it a miracle that after having been given a short time to live, I am not only still alive today, five years after having been diagnosed with severe PH, but I am also back to living my life to the fullest,” Temtchine said. “This new album is a tribute to my faith — my way of saying thank you.”
The Lead me Home album is available online for $9.99. PHA will receive all net proceeds from each full album sold this month.
The Right Heart campaign will also use social media to educates the public about PH by featuring adults and families of children living with PH fighting back through participating in PHA’s advocacy, support, education and fundraising programs. The campaign’s blog, videos and Facebook Live events will highlight PHA’s highly-regarded Pulmonary Hypertension Care Center (PHCC) accreditation program as well.
As part of its month-long Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month activities, PHA has created an easy-to-use toolkit to encourage members of the PH community and the public to participate in spreading awareness about the disease.
About the Pulmonary Hypertension Association
Headquartered in Silver Spring, Md., the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) is the country’s leading pulmonary hypertension organization. PHA’s mission is to extend and improve the lives of those affected by PH; its vision is a world without PH, empowered by hope. PHA achieves this by connecting and working together with the entire PH community of patients, families, health care professionals and researchers. For more information and to learn how you can support PH patients, visit www.PHAssociation.org and connect with PHA on Twitter and Instagram @PHAssociation and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PulmonaryHypertensionAssociation.
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During the month of November, all net proceeds from Lead me Home sales will go to PHA.
Listen to and download the album here.