Team Alpha 1
Our mission is to create awareness for organ donation and for early diagnosis
and treatment of Alpha 1 deficiency.
How Team Alpha 1 Got Started
I discovered after the Transplant Games that the media is very interested
in positive stories about transplant recipients. Athletic lung patients
especially capture their imagination. This leads to the positive promotion
of organ donation.
See "Ready to Fly", an article about
the creation of Alpha 1 and its plans
Our Goals and How We Work to Achieve Them
Team Alpha 1 is aimed at providing great stories about lung transplant
recipients and Alpha 1 lung patients in such an attractive way that the
press can't resist. We do this by riding our bicycles in American Lung
Association events all across America. (See schedule
of rides.)
Before each event, we create press releases, followed with phone contact
and pre-interviews so we know the event will be covered in the media. We
work with local Alpha1 support groups and transplant centers, The American
Society of Respiratory Therapists, and others to get local riders signed
up to ride with us. We want local lung recipients and other transplant
patients and their family & friends, local Alpha 1 patients, local
folks on the waiting list for lungs, nurses, docs, respiratory therapists,
homecare people, ... all the folks involved with our issues to come out
with us and wear the Team Alpha1 jersey for the ride.
In the process we hope to show the other riders about lung disease
and lung transplantation in the most personal way, by letting them see
us and talk with us.
Funding
Team Alpha 1 is part of the Alpha 1 Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3),
corporation. All contributions are tax deductible. Our starting sponsors
are Bayer Corporation, AlphaNet, and Alpha 1 National Association, though
we need more.
How You Can Be Involved
I ask everyone who wants to be involved across the country - as riders,
or helping sign up riders, help with press, corporate sponsorship, schedule
Team Alpha 1 speakers, please contact me at 1-800-4-ALPHA-1, ext. 8. Leave
a message and I will get back to you. Or email me at anet@aol.com.
Information provided to TransWeb by Mary Pierce.
Return to the Transplant Athletics page
Last modified:
11 May 2000