LOS ANGELES, Calif. [August 11, 2022] – Today, FEND, the daily airway hygiene device revolutionizing access to clean air, announced a partnership with best-selling author, community leader, and influencer pastor Touré Roberts to launch Breathe Better – a broad and inclusive national campaign to raise awareness and address a public health crisis threatening children in the U.S. and across the globe. The multi-pronged campaign focuses on the rise of respiratory disease and the morbidity and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) consequent to high levels of dehydration and daily exposure to dirty air.
FEND founder and Harvard scientist David Edwards and Pastor Roberts were joined by an esteemed panel of health experts and notable public figures to launch Breathe Better in a live roundtable discussion about the decline of respiratory health with the worsening of air quality, and the particular risks faced by minority children. The launch event took place at the Arc Theater in Los Angeles and featured virtual and in-person appearances from notable breathing advocates and FEND users, including Dr. Dennis Ausiello, MD (MGH, Harvard medical School), Dr. Padmini Pillai (MIT), singer Mickey Guyton, voice expert Anna Flavia Zuim (NYU), and professional athlete trainer and cofounder with Tom Brady of TB12, Alex Guerrero.
While dirty air impacts everyone across the globe, minority populations face significantly higher levels of exposure to polluted air and rates of respiratory disease compared to their non-minority counterparts. Black children are approximately three-and-a-half times more likely to die of asthma than non-Black children in the U.S., and Black and non-Black Hispanic children experience especially high levels of dehydration. Dehydrated airways heighten the risk of respiratory disease caused by breathing dirty air including asthma, COPD, and other airborne infectious disease. To help address this issue for all children, partners to Breathe Better – who represent children in the U.S. and vulnerable populations – receive an extreme discount off the sale of FEND product.
Breathe Better encourages three behaviors to improve access to clean air – whole-body hydration, airway hydration, and slow nasal breathing.
As part of the campaign’s philanthropic efforts, Pastor Roberts also announced two charitable initiatives: a Breathe Better sponsorship for 50 at-risk youth (ages nine to 18) that includes a one-year FEND subscription for each child and a contribution to the Ella Roberta Foundation GoFundMe campaign to build an East London monument in memory of nine-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah whose death was the first ever to be officially associated with air pollution.
“As someone who grew up with childhood asthma in the Watts neighborhood of LA, I get why kids like me are at risk,” said Roberts. “Ella Kissi-Debra died because she could no longer breathe. She lived next to a highway. I lived next to a railroad track. These stories are representative of an unfair condition of poor breathing we wish to end. Together with my community and a growing group of partners and influential voices, I hope we can educate people on the severity of this pressing breathing issue, improve access to Better Breathing, and help our most vulnerable lead healthier lives.”
“For years, scientists have been pointing to the benefits of hydrated airways to keep our lungs clean and protected from air pollution,” said former Harvard professor and founder of FEND David Edwards. “Touré and I hope to bring this message the national attention it deserves starting tonight. The principles of Better Breathing are intuitive and, importantly, readily accessible. FEND will make airway hydration available to partner organizations that serve children in the U.S. as well as minority populations for just 50 cents per day. In partnership with the 501(c)3 charity Next Breath, we hope in the future to improve access to airway hydration for those, most in need following the charitable example of Touré Roberts.”
Learn more about the Breathe Better Campaign at breathebetter.world.
About FEND:
FEND was created to improve human life – one breath at a time. Developed by Harvard scientist Dr. David Edwards, FEND is a cleansing and hydrating mist that helps people breathe better by hydrating the upper airways with calcium-enriched salts. The consequences of breathing dirty air are amplified by dehydrated upper airways and has been estimated to contribute to 6.4 million premature deaths each year , 93 billion days with illness, and $8.1 trillion in healthcare costs. Backed by years of research, FEND effectively addresses the issue of dry upper airways, strengthening the body’s ability to filter dirty air and protect against inflammation, congestion, and coughing.s FEND won Time Magazine’s Invention of the Year in 2020 and was recognized by Fast Company as a World Changing Idea in 2021 and at the Most Innovative Companies Summit in 2022.
About Toure Roberts:
Touré is the bestselling author of three published books, “Purpose Awakening: Discover the Epic Idea that Motivated Your Birth”, “Wholeness: Winning in Life From the Inside Out” and “Balance — Positioning Yourself To Do All Things Well” released in April of 2022. Touré’s work has been featured on most major news outlets including CBS, MSNBC, Good Morning America, Success Magazine and Entrepreneur in addition to guest appearances on the Discovery Channel, OWN, and BET. Touré’s work in entertainment includes consulting on a FOX network drama series, writer credits with TV One, and co-executive producing a multi-cam sitcom, the pilot of which was ordered by ABC. Touré is most widely known for being the founder of one of the most influential faith and empowerment congregations in the world, ONE. (Formerly One Church LA).