My team, Tony's Team, is now open for registration, and I hope you will join me and support the American Lung Association LUNG FORCE Walk!
Having asthma could have potentially stopped me from realizing my dream of becoming a professional athlete. The day I was diagnosed was also the day I learned my dad, Tony Gwynn, an MLB Hall of Famer, had asthma. I saw him use an inhaler for the very first time and realized that if he could play baseball at that level, I too could achieve my major league dreams. And I did.
Like so many other families, I share the task of trying to make sense of all the tumult in the country to my children. It is my job to protect them and make them feel safe. It is my most important duty to ensure a better life, so they can live without judgement based on the color of their skin. As a father, I am to inspire them and set a strong example of leadership just like my father did for me.
One of the most important things I can do for my family and community is to lead by example. And, as we all navigate these uncertain times, I’m proud to lend my talent, time, and efforts to the American Lung Association. I’m encouraged and inspired by the long-standing commitment of the Lung Association to ensure lung health for all, along with taking a firm stand for diversity and equity. This important work must continue to ensure a world free of lung disease.
In that spirit, I hope you will join my LUNG FORCE Walk Team and support the ongoing lifesaving and life-changing work of the American Lung Association in San Diego. I promise it will be fun and rewarding; together we can be part of the solution, end COVID-19 and prevent further respiratory pandemics in the future, defeat lung cancer and find better treatments to save lives. Because, as the Lung Association says, if you can’t breathe, nothing else matters.
Earlier this year, my fellow Board member Dr. Tim Morris of UCSD and I ran free, interactive conversations with local San Diego healthcare professionals and medical experts on the health topics most affecting our communities. If you missed them, you can go to www.lung.org/ccsandiego.
Read Tony’s Blog https://www.lung.org/blog/tony-gwynn-jr-racial-health-disparities