SC Woman Raises Awareness of Deadly Lung Disease

A South Carolina woman is hoping that a run/walk at the Lake Murray Dam will raise awareness of the disease that took her mother-in-law's life three years ago. 

Kathy Biggs, a licensed physical therapist, is holding the second annual 5K walk/run for awareness of Pulmonary Fibrosis on September 29. The walk will benefit the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF), a national non-profit foundation that supports patients and families. 

Biggs saw her mother-in-law, Linda Biggs, suffer from Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), also known as PF,  a disease that scars the lungs and suffocates its victims. There was nothing even she, a medical professional, could do to help her. 

“I want to help change things here in South Carolina so that other families in our state don’t have to go through what my family went through,” Biggs said.

In 2011, the Biggs family raised nearly $10,000 with the run/walk that drew 100 particpants.

This year, Biggs is also working with the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at the University of South Carolina's School of Medicine to put together the first-of-its-kind patient symposium on the deadly lung disease. 

The symposium will be held the day before the walk/run, September 28, at Palmetto Health Richland in Columbia. 

Both events are part of a month-long effort at the CPF for National Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month.

“Our family understands the importance of continuing to bring awarenss, provide education, give hope, and help raise funds to find a cure," Biggs said. "Our family is on a quest for cure and will continue to do so in Linda’s memory." 

5K WALK/RUN REGISTRATION INFORMATION

What: Linda Biggs 5KWalk/Run for IPF – A Quest for Cure

When: Saturday, September 29 

Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. Walk/run starts at 9 a.m.

Where: Lake Murray Dam (Irmo end)

Registration fee: $15 (children 12 and under free)

Contact:  To register or for more information, visit www.coalitionforpf.org or call 888.222.8541, ext. 704 or contact Kathy Biggs at kathylbiggs@hotmail.com.  

If you’re unable to attend or participate in the 5K Run/Walk, you can still give via the Biggs fundraising page. 

PF SYMPOSIUM REGISTRATION INFORMATION

What:  PF Symposium - A Journey of Learning, Living and Hope

When: Friday, September 28

Registration/lunch 12 to 1 p.m. Program lasts from 1 to 5:30 p.m.

Where: Palmetto Health Richland, 5 Richland Medical Park Drive, Columbia, SC 29203 (in the auditorium on the first floor)

To Register: RSVP by Tuesday, September 25 to Kathy Biggs, MSPT at kathy.biggs@palmettohealth.org or by calling 803-414-2974