MILWAUKEE — The 15th Annual Fight for Air climb was held at American Family Field on Saturday, raising money for research surrounding lung disease and lung cancer.
From the 100 firefighters dressed in full gear, to many of the more than 1,200 climbers who participated, the motivation to show up and climb was personal.
"My mother-in-law passed away from pulmonary fibrosis, which is a really terrible lung disease," said Erika Bremann, a climber who has participated for several years. "My grandmother had COPD and suffered also, especially late in her life."
Volunteer Melissa Elsinger shared her personal connection as well.
"In total (her family has) lost 7 people to lung cancer, 2 within a matter of 2 months of each other and 2 within 2 hours of each other," said Elsinger.
The climb also hit close to home for some of TMJ4's very own.
"My grandfather died of lung disease and other things, my great mother-in-law died of lung cancer. I mean everybody knows somebody who has been affected by some sort of lung disease one form or another," said TMJ4's Chief Meteorologist Brian Niznansky.
TMJ4 proudly sponsors the event as the news team remembers former photojournalist Michael Greene, who lost his battle with cancer back in 2014.
The personal passions to help find a cure for lung cancer and lung disease is what helped the climbers raise over $420,000 leading up to Saturday's event.
Milwaukee's Fight for Air Climb is among the largest in the country, according to Megan Cordova, Executive Director of the American Lung Association of Wisconsin.
"$0.90 of every dollar we raise goes back into our program, research and services as well as advocacy," said Cordova.
She also said the event is "two-fold" in the sense that it's not just about raising funds but also symbolic of the struggles so many Americans deal with every day.
"When they're climbing the stairs for those few minutes and they're out of breath, someone with lung diseases feels that every day," said Cordova.
It's a way to raise awareness, promote clean air and work towards a future free of lung disease.
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