Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) claims a life every 13 minutes in the U.S., the same number of lives each year as to breast cancer; yet most Americans have never heard of the disease until it strikes them, or someone they love. The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) launched a new public service announcement (PSA) to increase awareness of PF, which affects more than 128,000 Americans. Since 2001, prevalence has increased an alarming 156 percent, yet awareness and understanding of PF remains low in the general public and medical community. The goal of the PSA is to draw increased national attention to PF by educating the public on this rapidly progressing and ultimately fatal disease, and to urge people to support the CPF in its efforts to help patients and fund research efforts to find a cure.

The PSA, entitled 'Target', portrays a need for increased public awareness of PF by noting the rapidly increasing prevalence of the disease and the need to accelerate efforts to help patients, and understand and treat PF. The aggressive tone of the PSA highlights the ever-increasing need to work with the CPF to help the community of patients and researchers it serves,

"Our goal was to create a dramatic visual metaphor that clearly demonstrates the random and deadly nature of PF. The customized visual effect of an animated high tech moving target in an urban environment delivers a sobering message that 128,000 are now dying from PF with another 48,000 who will be 'targeted' this year by the deadly disease," said David C. Bojorquez, Director - Filmmaker with David Productions, the company that created the PSA for the CPF.

The video conveys the stealth nature of the fatal lung disease that targets its victims randomly. There is no known cause and there are no treatments, making PF a mystery to scientists, and a shocking and devastating diagnosis to patients and their families. It is the CPF's intention to create an open dialogue about the disease with the strong video message in hopes that it will lead to public support of the CPF's continuing efforts in patient services and research efforts to find a cure.

"We are so excited about this opportunity to share this well-produced video with the public. Our patients have long waited for a national voice in the media, and we are filling that void with this production," said Mishka Michon, chief executive officer for the CPF. "Our goal is for this video to spread virally throughout the Internet and for it to also be widely broadcast on television and cable stations nationwide. It is critically important that attention be paid before hundreds of thousands more lives are claimed by PF in the coming years."

About Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF)

Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) is a lung disorder characterized by a progressive scarring - known as fibrosis -- and deterioration of the lungs, which slowly robs its victims of their ability to breathe. Approximately 128,000 Americans suffer from PF, and there is currently no known cause or cure. An estimated 48,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. PF is difficult to diagnose and an estimated two-thirds of patients die within five years of diagnosis. Sometimes PF can be linked to a particular cause, such as certain environmental exposures, chemotherapy or radiation therapy, residual infection, or autoimmune diseases such as scleroderma or rheumatoid arthritis. However, in many instances, no known cause can be established. When this is the case, it is called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

About the CPF

The CPF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, founded in 2001 to accelerate research efforts leading to a cure for pulmonary fibrosis (PF), while educating, supporting, and advocating for the community of patients, families, and medical professionals fighting this disease. The CPF funds promising research into new approaches to treat and cure PF; provides patients and families with comprehensive education materials, resources, and hope; serves as a voice for national advocacy of PF issues; and works to improve awareness of PF in the medical community as well as the general public. The CPF's nonprofit partners include many of the most respected medical centers and healthcare organizations in the U.S. With more than 19,000 members nationwide, the CPF is the largest nonprofit organization in the U.S. dedicated to advocating for those with PF.