Film Actor/TV Personality Terrence J Renews Commitment to Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) to Promote Early Awareness for Often Misdiagnosed, Deadly Disease
Silver Spring, Md. (PRWEB) February 08, 2017 -- True to his mission to use his status as a platform to help others, actor, TV personality and executive producer Terrence J (Jenkins) has stepped up his commitment to raising awareness about pulmonary hypertension (PH). Looking forward to a busy year with his new talent deal with MTV and VH1, Terrence J will take time to continue using his influence to get more people living with this too-often misdiagnosed and misunderstood deadly, progressive lung disease to get diagnosed early and accurately.
PH is characterized by increased pressure in the blood vessels of the lungs, which can lead to death from right-heart failure and affects infants, children and adults of all races and ethnic backgrounds. The disease can exist alone or in association with congestive heart failure; connective tissue disorders, COPD, HIV and other illnesses. Common PH symptoms are non-specific and can include shortness of breath, fatigue and chest pain. Consequently, this complex disease is often misdiagnosed — for example, as asthma — leading to delays in proper treatment and costing patients valuable time. With early and accurate diagnosis, PH treatments can extend and improve the quality of life for many people living with the disease.
As celebrity ambassador for the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA), for a second year, Terrence J will appear in a PHA print and digital public service ad (PSA) campaign that will run throughout 2017, beginning this spring. He will also continue to use social media to encourage his fans as well as other influencers and celebrities to become a part of the fight. Terrence J will bring more attention to PH when he joins the PH community for an event that PHA will announce this spring.
“After spending time with people living with PH, their personal and professional caregivers and some who’ve lost loved ones to the disease, I’ve seen how debilitating and devastating PH can be,” Terrence J said. “I’m touched, humbled and honored that PHA has given me the opportunity to use my voice to reach people who may have PH and not know it because for them awareness can be a matter of life or death.”
Terrence J, who knows firsthand some of the frustrations of battling a rare disease, gained fame as an entertainment host, first with BET’s 106 & Park and later with E! News. Under his new deal with MTV and VH1, he will host a variety of taped and live shows and his Jenkins Entertainment Group will executive produce and develop original content. Last year, after appearing as the leading man in The Perfect Match (Lionsgate/Codeblack Films), a romantic comedy produced by Queen Latifah and Flavor Unit, he hosted the Mark Burnett-produced unscripted dating show, Coupled. He is also the author of The Wealth of My Mother’s Wisdom: The Lessons That Made My Life Rich.
PHA relies on charitable donations to fund its programs and support researchers looking for causes and cures for this complex disease. The heart of the PH community for more than 25 years, PHA is the only national nonprofit providing support and educational resources for patients, families, caregivers, health care professionals who specialize in caring for people with the disease and PH researchers. PHA’s new PH Care Center accreditation program and patient registry are already making contributions to improving patient care, and PHA’s public service campaigns, which Terrence J will support, are helping to raise awareness and educate the public about the disease.
About the Pulmonary Hypertension Association:
Headquartered in Silver Spring, Md., the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) is
the country’s leading pulmonary hypertension organization. Commemorating its 25th
anniversary in 2016, PHA’s mission is to extend and improve the lives of those affected
by PH; its vision is a world without PH, empowered by hope. PHA achieves this by
connecting and working together with the entire PH community of patients, families;
health care professionals and researchers. For more information and to learn how you
can support PH patients, visit http://www.PHAssociation.org and connect with PHA on Twitter
@PHAssociation and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PulmonaryHypertensionAssociation.
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Kelly Williams, Pulmonary Hypertension Assoc., https://www.phassociation.org/, +1 (240) 485-0768, [email protected]
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