Oak Forest Woman Fights for Right to Air

For a moment, Eva LaRoche couldn't breathe. As she pushed herself up the 2,340 steps of Chicago's Presidential Towers, her lungs burned, and she gasped for air.

This must be how my sister felt, she thought.

, LaRoche raced up the towers' 180 floors for recreation, but the feeling of breathlessness was one her sister Sue Kirby—a chronic asthma sufferer—felt every day. LaRoche tackled the towers in her honor Sunday, March 11, for the American Lung Association's Fight for Air Climb.

"When you really push yourself, you can understand what they go through," LaRoche said. "It keeps it fresh in my mind, what they go through on a daily basis."

But LaRoche can easily recall what her sister went through as a child: daily use of an inhaler, frequent bouts with bronchitis and incapacitating colds. It all started when Susan was 2 years old, LaRoche said. Her struggles continued into adulthood, when jogging down a street to make up for lost time left her panicked and breathless. With no inhaler nearby, LaRoche watched, panicked, as Kirby struggled to breathe normally.

"I was literally just watching her choking to death," LaRoche said.

Kirby died in 2000 of other causes, but her lifelong battle for breath inspired LaRoche. In addition, she climbs for her husband's aunt and nephew, both sufferers of chronic lung conditions. Some of the hundreds of participants signed up to show support for loved ones touched by lung cancer. Some focused more on increasing awareness about secondhand smoke or Emphysema.

The climb was broken up by the number of floors, with the total floors added across the towers. LaRoche rose to the four-tower challenge and trained by running the steps at Swallow Cliff Forest Preserve. With 125 steps total there, each time she visited she made 10 trips, three times per week, in anticipation of: 

One Tower Climb: 45 total floors, 585 steps
Two Tower Climb: 90 total floors, 1,170 step
Three Tower Climb: 135 total floors, 1,775 steps
Four Tower Climb (LaRoche's Path): 180 floors, 2,340 steps

LaRoche joined others on Team WellBeing MD, led by Dr. John Principe, an internal medicine specialist. The team's fund-raising goal is set at $10,000—so far, they've raised $4,960. LaRoche is just $25 shy of her personal goal, making her one of the top fundraisers. Anyone interested in donating can visit her page. Funds go toward research, education and advocacy of lung conditions.

"Our youngest climber was a 7-year-old female, and our oldest climber was a 78-year-old female," LaRoche said. "When I came down from that first tower last year, I was hooked.

"I can't wait for next year."