Fight For Air Climb, Milwaukee fundraiser for lung disease cure

MILWAUKEE - The American Lung Association's annual Fight For Air Climb drew hundreds of people to downtown Milwaukee on Saturday, March 9.

Now in its 16th year, the event was held at 411 East Wisconsin Center. Participants climbed 30 floors to raise money to find a cure for lung disease and, in some cases, to remember a loved one.

"My team member has one lung because he had lung cancer. I thought of him, and also my dad who died of lung cancer when I was 13," said Brigid O'Leary-Knudsen, a Waterford firefighter. "He was in the military, and I thought of him all the way up, too, and what he went through in his struggle with cancer."

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Participants could also take part in the "Anthem Firefighter Challenge" – making the climb in full firefighter gear weighing nearly 50 pounds.

Organizers said the Fight For Air Climb is the largest event of its kind in terms of both fundraising and number of participants.