Today, November 16, is COPD World Awareness Day. It saddens me to think of how many people have suffered with this condition, but what’s more, it is a mostly preventable condition. (unless genetic) Remember how Leonard stressed abstinence and quitting in his final year. He had said:
“I quit smoking 30 years ago; not soon enough!” …”If you smoke, quit now and if you haven’t started, don’t!”
To think that in his last hours, the poor man couldn’t even talk, his beautiful baritone voiced silenced, his lungs closing up, is heart-wrenching. I’ll never forget when I saw him in NYC in 2013 how he had an awful coughing fit on the stage of Symphony Space. This was before his disease was public knowledge, but I suspected that something was awfully wrong with him. I’m sure had he survived he would still be promoting awareness of the awful diseases that are under the tent of COPD; emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Please support the COPD community and in Leonard’s memory, please don’t smoke. And thanks to his daughter Julie, for making this part of the conversation. <3
http://www.copdllap.com/