The Daniel Graham Foundation focuses on educating students and families about asthma.
Daniel Graham converses with a few of the many students present at the event. Photo by Anna Becker
On April 28, 2010 TJ held an asthma awareness event hosted by the Daniel Graham Foundation. Families from multiple middle and elementary schools in Denver filled the Spartan lunchroom. Toddlers, kids, and parents were all present for the event. Daniel Graham started out by sharing shocking news. “The number one cause for kids staying home from school is asthma,” he said. There was a collective gasp paired with startled looks. Graham replaced the silence when asking for a show of hands of those who have asthma, and more than half of the audience members raised their hands, with the majority being young children.
Graham graduated from TJ in 1997 and is now the Tight End for the Denver Broncos. He started the Daniel Graham Foundation three years ago as a vehicle to spread asthma awareness to create a better understanding for the chronic inflammatory disease. “I want to help the kids have a better understanding of what asthma is, and to help them find a way to prevent asthma attacks,” said Graham, who discovered his asthma problem while playing sports after entering high school. “I just hope these kids know that you can play sports even if they have asthma,” said Graham.
The foundation has been touring DPS for two years now. “It’s amazing to see how many people have asthma and don’t even know anything about it,” said Graham, who struggled to learn about asthma on his own when he was younger. One way the foundation is able to help spread awareness is by sending those who are affected by asthma to Boulder for a football camp. At the camp the kids are surrounded by those with whom they can relate. The camp allows the kids to develop a comfort level with asthma and familiarize themselves with their symptoms. “You have to figure out what sets off your asthma; what triggers it,” said Graham.
Joining the urge to spread awareness is Dr. Stanley J. Szefler, who has been a partner with the foundation in offering his medical advice and knowledge of asthma. Szefler is in pediatrics and specializes in allergy immunology. “Our goal is to increase awareness and help children get control of their symptoms. It is important to limit the impact that asthma has on their lives,” said Szefler, who also battled asthma as a child. It is Szefler’s own experiences that motivate him to help children with asthma. “I was told that in order to cure my asthma, I had to stop running track when I was in high school. It was very shocking to me; I had to give up many of my passions because of it,” said Szefler.
Staff members from the National Jewish Medical and Research Center also accompany the foundation on their trips around DPS. The members use models of the lung to help present a visual for what is causing an asthma attack. They also have inhalers and inhaler chambers to show how to properly use an inhaler. As the event came to an end there was a Jeopardy game that allowed the kids to share what they had learned and to win prizes, such as a signed football by Graham, who ended the triumphant night by saying, “I hope you never let asthma stop you from doing what you want to do.”
For more information on asthma and the Daniel Graham Foundation, go to http://danielgrahamfoundation.org/.
