On World COPD Day, 18 November, Royal Philips unveiled the Philips Breathless Choir. The event brought together a group of 18 people in New York for whom breathing is a constant challenge.
The COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) patients, documented their journey through a series of films, as they conquered their fears and defied everyone’s expectations by undertaking the impossible: learning to sing.
Celebrity choirmaster, Gareth Malone, led the group, each of whom is living with a chronic respiratory condition, and many have COPD. Gareth is renowned for turning unlikely people into singers, and following five days of intensive training with him the Breathless Choir was formed. The choir’s transformation culminated in a private performance at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. Each member of the choir was provided with the Philips Respironics SimplyGo Mini, a portable oxygen concentrator (POC).
The Breathless Choir films illustrate how none of the participants can be defined by their illnesses because what shines through is their determination to share their story of strength and hope in song. By launching today on World COPD day, the series of films aim to help support the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) to improve awareness and care of COPD around the world.
Source: http://www.prnewswire.com
Editing for Eindhoven News: Chuan Nie
