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My grandfather, Farrell Jackson, suffered from Black Lung. If you are not from coal country, Black Lung is also known as coal workers’ pneumoconiosis. It is a condition that coal miners get from breathing in coal dust over long periods of time. The coal dust scars the lungs and makes breathing difficult.
I remember my grandfather talking about how exertion, heat, humidity, and high altitudes exacerbated his breathing problems. Unfortunately, Black Lung did not end with my grandfather's generation. While the rates of Black Lung declined in the 1990s, they are now on the rise.
My life’s path did not take me underground. If it did I may not have been able to climb Mt. Washington (6,288 feet) in New Hampshire or hiked up through the Bishop Pass (11,972 feet) and Kersage Pass (11,709 feet) in California’s Sierra Nevadas. I certainly would not have been able to scale White Mountain Peak (14, 252 feet) in California’s Inyo Mountains. Moreover, I would not be able to accomplish the future goals that I have set for myself. As you might have guessed, these goals are climbing ever higher mountains.
With your help, the help of the American Lung Association, and the help of qualified guides I will climb two volcanos in Mexico, Ixtaccichuatl (17,340 feet) and Orizaba (18, 491 feet). I am doing so to help raise funds for the American Lung Association to help them in their fight against lung disease in general and in their fight against Black Lung in particular.
My goal is bring arrention to the raising rates of Black Lung and to raise $10,000.00 for the American Lung Association. Please help if you can by donating any amount you feel comfortable with. Thank you.
John