The Turkish Respiratory Society (TRS) launched a special awareness project on the 52nd anniversary of its foundation with the message "We Walk with Endless Breath for a Healthy Future". The corporate social responsibility project, entitled “The Healthy Future Walk: Take a Breath, Be Breath", aims to raise awareness about lung health and respiratory diseases, and invites people of all ages to participate in a more healthy life. 

The first step in the project was taken on May 19 to commemorate Atatürk’s Youth and Sports Day, and over 1 million real steps have subsequently been taken in support of COPD awareness to date. By World COPD Day, on which the project will be concluded, the goal is to achieve 3.6 million steps!

• The goal of the project: “Take Breath, Be Breath”, through which TRS is promoting lung health to large segments of society, has been designed as a kindness movement and awareness-raising project. TRS seeks to disseminate the facts about lung health, the value of which has become better understood during the pandemic, and is taking action to inform the public how to protect themselves against disease and the importance of early diagnosis.

Unfortunately, 90 percent of COPD patients in Türkiye are not even aware that they have COPD! Most people with the disease are not diagnosed early. One-third of patients have already reached an advanced stage of the disease by the time they are diagnosed. Many people live their lives not knowing that their symptoms are COPD. With early diagnosis, however, COPD can be a preventable and treatable disease.

TRS works with the COPD Patients Association to draw attention to COPD disease, which is known to affect mostly those of advanced age, but which is being seen more frequently in earlier age groups in recent years. To this end, they aim to convey preventive methods to the public and the knowledge that early diagnosis and treatment can be life-saving.

• The goal of the project: Each virtual tour, as a total of the participants' steps will be turned into a real donation. TRS and its supporters will thus contribute financially to the awareness-raising activities of the COPD Patients Association which will use the money for awareness studies with a view to increasing the multiplier effect of the project.

• How the project works: The project has been designed in such a way that every individual living in Turkey, aged from 7 to 70, can provide their support while going about their daily lives. To this end, the real steps taken by people are shared with TRS and the COPD Patients' Association in a digital environment using the #NEFESALNEFESOL hashtag are summed, with the goal being to reach a targeted total distance of 2,753 km – representing Turkey’s total land borders. In line with the project's mission of kindness movement, 10 TL will be donated on behalf of the participants for every 1,000 steps taken. At the end of the project, when 3.6 million steps have been taken and the Turkey tour has been completed, the amount raised will be donated to the COPD Patients Association to be used in activities to raise COPD awareness.

• Project schedule: The project, which was launched with a march that took place on May 19 to commemorate Atatürk’s Youth and Sports Day, which is a very meaningful day for Turkey, aims to be continued in the future. For the duration of the project, many events, press releases and social media activities are planned, including various activities and media events held on September 25 to mark World Lung Day. On this special day, the results of the project will be announced and the importance of the subject will again be emphasized.