Deb Labud of Gainesville, Florida looks forward to attending the bi-yearly transplant games and was excited to get back in San Diego, CA this August. She prides herself on being like the “Energizer Bunny” and plans to keep on going! Deb was a medal winner at the most recent transplant games, winning Gold in Cricket and Gold for doubles bowling. Deb received a single lung transplant in 2001; in 2018 she received the other lung.
Deb was diagnosed in 1991 at the age of 36 as a ZZ Alpha. She got involved with the Alpha-1 Foundation by attending support group meetings and conferences. In 1995, she was put on oxygen 24/7, but this did not stop her… she started a support group in her area. In 2002, she participated in her first transplant games, competing in cycling, inspiring her to join the annual Escape to the Cape Bike Trek in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. This three-day-long bike ride raises awareness and funds for Alpha-1. This year Deb and her husband, Tony, can’t make it to ride at the Cape but plan to ride virtually to help find a cure!
Click here to support Deb’s Riding for a Reason campaign: http://give.alpha1.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1055886&pg=personal&fr_id=1381
“I have been involved in a lot of fundraisers for the Alpha-1 Foundation, for ONE reason… to find a cure for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency. I do not want my kids, grandkids, and my great-grandkids to go through what I have,” exclaimed Deb.
