Donor Spotlight:  Miriam Hartman

            Travel has always been one of Miriam Hartman’s great loves in life.  Born in Hungary, Miriam moved to Switzerland before eventually immigrating to Canada and has always made international travel a priority.  Little did Miriam know that a trip to China’s interior nearly 20 years ago would change her life and breath forever.

            In perfect health, Miriam welcomed the opportunity to see a part of the world often hidden to tourists.  While touring the interior regions however, she caught an incurable bacterial infection that continues to rest in her lungs, making every breath difficult for Miriam.

            “I’ve always been healthy,” says Miriam, now a successful real estate agent based in Toronto, “but this experience has taught me that lung disease can happen to anybody. I can no longer do even simple things that most people take for granted.”

             At first Miriam thought she might have contracted tuberculosis, a disease that still records nine million new cases worldwide each year.  The wait for a proper diagnosis took six months during which time she was weak, had trouble breathing, was coughing up blood and worried constantly about who would care for her young son, Robert, should she die.  Once diagnosed, Miriam faced a very different future, one with the restrictions that come with living with severe chronic lung disease.

              “I have to exercise everyday to keep my lungs clear otherwise I risk getting a flare up,” says Miriam. “Flare-ups cause more damage to my lungs and I have a slow recovery from it, usually five or six weeks.  My doctors have told me that if I don’t exercise regularly, I have six years or less to live.  That’s incentive. Thank goodness I’m stubborn. I’m not about to give up any time soon.”

              Miriam is adamant that her disease is not going to dictate her life.  So much so, Miriam has excelled in spite of her disease, being recognized as a platinum producer for Baker Real Estate Incorporated for the past seven years.  Now in position to give back, Miriam has launched Miriam’s Inspiration for Respiration, a program that donates 10 percent of her commission to The Lung Association from every home she negotiates for buyers and sellers to help raise awareness about the importance of lung health. This year she hopes to raise up to $25,000.

               “I plan to be around for a long time yet,” says Miriam, her trademark tenacity clearly evident.  “Now that I am able to donate, I want to help people with lung disease.  I want to tell them, ‘Never give up.  Ever.’”

               To learn how you can participate in Miriam’s Inspiration for Respiration, look at Ways to Give on our website at www.on.lung.ca.