The hills of Lewisham
Taking our lives in our hands
Ride For Their Lives - quite dramatic! Well a group of doctors, with whom we have worked with over the past few months, know the impact that air pollution has on their patients and how the health service is not yet equipped to deal with it.
We first worked with these amazing doctors as they cycled through France at to Geneva to raise awareness of air pollution at the World Health Assembly. Last weekend we were invited to join their - slightly easier going - ride through Lewisham on international clean air day.
Lewisham was chosen as it was the home of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah and remains the home of her family. Ella died of severe asthma, aged 9, brought on by air pollution. But her family didn’t know this at the time, as the Prevention of Future Deaths report set out: “Ella's mother was not given information by health professionals about the health risks of air pollution and its potential to exacerbate asthma. If she had been given this information she would have taken steps which might have prevented Ella's death.”
Breathing Life
Her mother, Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah CBE, is now an international campaigner on air pollution. She is WHO BreatheLife Ambassador and a formidable force in raising awareness on air pollution and health. Recently she has taken a case to the high court in pursuit of the right to clean air.
We have had the opportunity to meet Rosamund a few times now and she is remarkably upbeat, energetic, witty and driven. Recently we seem to find ourselves in hilly parks in Lewisham while Rosamund reminds us why we are doing this, before we set off on some punishing exercise challenge!
This time it was cycling - 10km around sites of particular significance to Ella and her family. We visited her school, a mural of Rosamund at Brockley station and Lewisham hospital. It was the furthest our five year old had ridden, and the furthest Louise had ridden on a hired e-bike whose battery gave up for most of it! Those hills are hilly.
It was a lovely event - lots of doctors (always reassuring in case you get taken ill half way up a hill) and other committed campaigners including the amazing Martin Johnson. Rosamund reminded us all of the metaphorical hills we still have to climb to see air pollution get the attention is requires. And our daughter presented her with a blue satchel with the hopes of children for a cleaner future.
We’re riding on this success to try Kiddical Mass on 22nd in London - perhaps see you there?