First-time PHun Walk set for Sunday in Edison

EDISON — An inaugural walk will be held Sunday at Roosevelt Park to raise awareness of and help find a cure for a rare but serious illness.

Pulmonary hypertension, which has no cure, causes abnormally high blood pressure of the arteries in the lungs, resulting in the overworking of the right side of the heart.

Melanie Kozak, who has been battling pulmonary hypertension for 14 years, said the condition begins when capillaries and tiny pulmonary arteries in the lungs become narrowed, blocked or destroyed. This makes it harder for oxygen-rich blood to flow through the lungs, which raises pressure within the arteries in the lungs. As the pressure builds, the heart’s lower right chamber, the right ventricle, must work harder to pump blood through the lungs, eventually causing the heart muscle to weaken and possibly fail.

Among the possible causes of pulmonary hypertension are any condition that causes chronic low oxygen levels in the blood, autoimmune diseases that damage the lungs, birth defects of the heart, certain diet medications, congestive heart failure, a history of a blood clot in the lung, or obstructive sleep apnea. Some of the symptoms include shortness of breath or light-headedness, fast heart rate or palpitations, and ankle and leg swelling.

Kozak, who is helping to host Sunday’s event, said this is the first walk being held locally to raise awareness of the disease and raise money for a cure.

“There are only ways to manage the dis- ease as of right now,” she said.

Kozak was diagnosed at the age of 21.

“My primary doctor was not aware of the disease… he said he read about the disease in school,” she said. “I have traveled all around for doctors. Luckily after all the doctors I have seen, I recently found a doctor at Beth Israel in Newark that I go to now.”

Kozak, who runs support groups for people with the disease in Wayne and Red Bank, said many times pulmonary hypertension can be misdiagnosed, particularly if a person is overweight or has anxiety attacks. Hundreds of people in New Jersey have been diagnosed with the disease, she said .

The various types of treatment involve around-the-clock medicine pumps, inhalers and some pills. In some cases where these do not work, a person diagnosed may require a lung or double-lung transplant.

The inaugural Power for PH: PHun Walk for a Cure will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This is a 2-mile walk around the lake area. Tickets are $25. Children are free, and pets are welcome. Registration includes breakfast and lunch, a goody bag and 10 raffle tickets. All types of walkers are welcome, and they are encouraged to participate as much as health and interest allow. The event will include a band, raffles and activities for children. All proceeds go to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association.

The event is being held in honor of 3- year-old Olivia Marie, who has been battling the disease since birth and has to be attached to medication via a pump at all times.

For more information, email powerforph@gmail.com.