We thank those who have shopped at Amazon and donated to EFFORTS through the Smile program. On February 20th 2023,
Amazon discontinued the program.
If you would like to donate to EFFORTS, click the Paypal Donate button or mail a check to PO Box 20241
Kansas City, MO 64195–0241.
As a patient advocacy group, we rely on your contributions/donations to maintain the mail list
group, this website, and help board members attend conferences and to increase our participation in research.
The people of EFFORTS are Tall, Short, Skinny, Fat. We are young and we are old. We come in all
colors, races, and religion. We are educated and uneducated. We come from all professions and jobs.
We are civilian and Military. We are Americans and citizens of other countries. We have all types of personalities.
Some of us are pretty tough and others of us are very fragile. After all, we are human.
We have learned that none of these things have anything to do with how we feel for one another. All
of a sudden it just doesn’t matter if you have a Lincoln or ride the bus. Your color, your
accent, your language all of the things that many people judge others by just don’t matter.
Why? Because we are human.
We Laugh together. We cry together. We hurt for one another as well as our care givers. We learn from
each other and we teach each other. We irritate others from time to time just like anyone would if they spend
as much time together as we do. Since we are all humans, we sometimes hurt our brothers and sisters.
Sometimes on purpose because we are hurting, but most of the time because we don’t watch what we are
saying. After all, we are human.
We are learning to understand that tomorrow, one or more of us may not be here. We don’t want it
to be us, but we don’t want it to be any of our brothers or sisters. Sure we
are selfish, but after all, we are human.
Why are we the way we are? Why do so many things that are important to the rest of the world seem so
meaningless to us? It’s very simple, we have a common enemy and we have a
common goal. The eradication of Emphysema and other related lung diseases. We
are all in the same boat. And we are all human.
With God's help, one day these diseases will no longer exist and we can continue on through life,
just being human.
— Written by member, John Strong on February 20, 1999.
