'Breathe, Mom' lands in LATAM
The documentary premieres in Mexico City and opens a rich debate to demand the right to breathe clean air
The story of Meri and her daughter Nina, who suffers from Alpha-1, a respiratory condition that makes her especially vulnerable to air pollution, was heard for the first time in Latin America, specifically in Mexico City, one of the most polluted cities on the planet. There, one of the main concerns on a global scale became evident: the impact of air pollution on health.
It was the premiere of 'Breathe mom', the magnificent documentary by Meri Collazos and Joan López, within the framework of the DocsMx International Film FestivalThe Goethe Institute was the chosen venue for this first screening in LATAM on October 16, followed by a lively debate in which social organizations, patients, family members and health professionals participated, united by the same goal: to raise their voices to demand more measures to improve the quality of what we breathe every day.
A panel of experts to demand clean air
The panel of experts, organized by the Lovexair Foundation, was opened by a Message expressly sent by Dr. Maria Neira, director of the Department of Public Health and Environment of the World Health Organization (WHO)Neira urged people to become aware of the harmful effects on our health caused by simply breathing the air that surrounds us in our cities, which can cause around 7 million premature deaths a year around the world.
Under the title Together for our right to breathe clean air. Let's protect our lungs. Change starts with ourselves And with the moderation of Rafael Salazar, respiratory and cardiac physiotherapist and HappyAir coach of the Lovexair Foundation, the discussion panel focused on highlighting environmental pollution as one of the most obvious risk factors for our health.
Andrea gonzales, representing the Lovexair Foundation, detailed the specific actions that we carry out at the Foundation to raise awareness in the community about the risk of environmental exposure, activate joint actions with different interest groups that help us to make the problem visible and offer support programs for patients with chronic respiratory diseases.
Liz Hurtadoof the organization Eco Mothers, movement included in Moms Clean Air Force, an organization that promotes the empowerment of Latina mothers to demand their right to claim clean air for their children and future generations, invited the Mexican community to organize to demand equitable solutions to climate change, especially now at a time of presidential change that includes this type of measures in its program.
Jaime Barba, COPD patient and representative of the coalition health talk y Salud Justa, offered his life testimony, after 12 years of being diagnosed, to describe the daily life of living with this respiratory condition and how it can be managed in a highly polluted city like Mexico City.
La Dr. Lissette Rivas, a pediatric pulmonologist who graduated from the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases and High Specialty in Cystic Fibrosis at the Cystic Fibrosis Center of the University Hospital of the Autonomous University of Nuevo León, commented that environmental pollution is considered a risk factor for developing chronic respiratory diseases, in addition to cardiovascular diseases, something that is directly reflected in the greater number of hospital admissions in Mexico due to exacerbations generated by environmental pollution and other risk factors. In Rivas's opinion, there has also been an increase in the number of people without a diagnosis who are developing respiratory allergies.
The director of the documentary herself was also present at the panel, Meri Collazos, She pointed out the life-changing moment that the arrival of her daughter Nina has brought about for her, whose respiratory condition has allowed her to realise how the environment in which we live greatly affects our health and our daily quality of life. Therefore, learning to live in society and generating this global awareness is key to claiming our right to breathe clean air.
Change starts with us
The journey of documentary 'Breathe, Mom', first in several European capitals and now in Latin America, is being key to raising awareness at a global level and joining forces with all interested sectors to generate changes in public policies, raise awareness among the general population to protect their health and claim their right to breathe clean air.
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Shane Fitch, president of the Lovexair Foundation, and Dr. María Neira, from the WHO, in two scenes of the documentary.
The conclusion of the participants at the event was overwhelming: as individuals we must understand that change begins with us. It is we who can activate measures to protect our own health and the health of our environment through the use of bicycles and public transport, the use of water and energy in a more efficient and rational way, better consumption habits and a more active life.
Each measure is key to reducing pollution and decreasing sedentary lifestyle, which is considered a risk factor for developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
Without them it would not have been possible.
Our most special thanks to all the panelists who made a debate of this level possible, without forgetting the entire DocsMX Festival team who helped us take care of every detail of the meeting and the Eulen team present, sponsor of part of the event, for its commitment to health, society and sustainability.
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Left photo: Rafael Salazar (Happyair coach), Meri Collazos (Breathe, Mom), Andrea Gonzales (Lovexair), Dra Lissete Rivas, Liz Hurtado (Ecomadres) and Jaime Barba (Health Talk and Fair Health. Photo right: Andrea Gonzales with Oscar Zato, CEO of EULEN
And of course, a deep thank you to Meri Collazos, director of the documentary, and her rigorous and emotional work alongside Joan López Lloret. Without them, none of the meetings we are holding internationally would have been possible. Their message is allowing us to highlight the impact of environmental pollution on people's health.
We hope to continue to move forward by activating all possible mechanisms to continue to demand our right to breathe clean air.
If you want to join us in these actions or in the many other areas we cover, we are here just a click away: info@lovexair.com
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