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Baseball legend Bernie Williams raises awareness of rare lung disease in honor of his father

September 20, 2018

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a rare lung disease that affects nearly 132,000 Americans and claims almost 40,000 lives each year. Bernie Williams, New York Yankee legend and four-time World Series® champion, lost his father to the disease in 2001. Williams describes his father as his hero, the man who

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a rare lung disease that affects nearly 132,000 Americans and claims almost 40,000 lives each year. Bernie Williams, New York Yankee legend and four-time World Series® champion, lost his father to the disease in 2001. Williams describes his father as his hero, the man who taught him everything he knows about life, baseball and music. When his father was first diagnosed with IPF, Williams struggled with the fact that one of the most important people in his life was suffering from a fatal disease that he had never heard of before. Since his family's devastating loss, Williams decided to do everything in his power to increase awareness of the little-known disease. 

Williams joined Boehringer Ingelheim's Breathless™ campaign to educate people about IPF. Williams visited eight Minor League Baseball (MiLB) ballparks this summer to talk to fans about the disease and how it has impacted him and his family, and to spread his message of hope through his two passions: baseball and music.
"I'm advocating for IPF and people who suffer from IPF because it's something that touched my life in a very profound and personal way," says Williams. "I'm doing it for my dad because he would want me to help people." During the season, Williams led several game-day activities, including throwing out the first pitch and playing the national anthem on his guitar, along with meeting fans at each ballpark. 

Breathless Blowouts


The fatal disease causes scarring in the lungs. As the scarring continues, it becomes harder for individuals to breathe deeply or do simple tasks such as blow bubble gum. At the ballparks, teams distributed informational brochures about IPF and how to recognize the signs and symptoms. Teams also led fans in "Breathless Blowouts," where they were encouraged to blow bubble gum to underscore the fact that those living with IPF may not be able to do the simple task because of their disease. Several teams also honored members of their community living with IPF by bringing them on the field to meet Williams and rally the Breathless Blowout crowds.  
To further shed light on this issue, Williams took his efforts to the Eastern League All-Star Game in Trenton, New Jersey, where he led the crowd after the game in a Guinness World Records™ attempt. The record, broken by Williams and 881 Eastern League All-Star Game attendees, was for the Most People Blowing A Chewing Gum Bubble Simultaneously. The event was the pinnacle of Williams's season-long campaign to promote awareness for the disease that has affected him and his family in such a profound way. 
Breathless Blowout Ballclub of the Week winners »
"We had a sold-out crowd for the All-Star Game so the pressure was on to break the record," said Eric Lipsman, Sr. Vice President of Corporate Sales & Sponsorship, Trenton Thunder. "Bernie Williams helped rally the crowd on the field to blow bubbles, and the fans and staff came together to make it happen -- all for a good cause."
Williams' message of awareness is especially relevant as September is Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness month. To learn more about IPF and the Breathless campaign, visit www.BreathlessIPF.com. Help Williams raise awareness of this devastating disease by sharing the information and resources on the site through your social media channels.  

Bridgette Vogan is a writer for Minor League Baseball.