The saga continues

Star Wars enthusiasts can strut in style with Folded & Hung’s latest limited edition collection: Star Wars x Folded & Hung.

The brand’s trendy and wearable collaboration with the huge foreign franchise, owned and managed by The Walt Disney International, was recently launched at SM Megamall Mega Fashion Hall.

The venue resembled the film’s classic Death Star spacecraft with huge LED screen as the backdrop of the stage and fashion show ramp. Huge images of the characters of the movie were displayed all over the venue. A huge Lego Darth Vader at the center of the selling area welcomed guests while Stormtroopers paraded at the end of the fashion show.

The galactic-themed fashion show featured the collection that highlighted iconic Star Wars characters, scenes and recognizable references to the popular movie franchise rendered in very stylish prints and cuts. The collection boasts major characters like Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, Yoda, Luke Skywalker, R2D2 and C3PO.

(The complete Star Wars x Folded & Hung Limited Edition Collection is now available at Folded & Hung stores and  foldedandhungonlinestore.com.)

‘It’s never too late’

It may start out just like an ordinary cough that we often dismiss as something that isn’t serious. This is exactly what makes Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) one of the most dangerous diseases of our time.

COPD continues to be one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the 21st century with the Global Burden of Disease Study by the World Health Organization predicting that it will become the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2020.

According to the Department of Health, COPD ranks seventh as the leading cause of death in the Philippines. It has a prevalence rate of 13.8 percent in Manila. Despite the high incidence of COPD in the Philippines, only two percent  of the cases are diagnosed by doctors. The under-diagnosis and under-treatment are due to lack of public health awareness of COPD in the country.

In observance of World COPD Day, industry stakeholders gathered at the Makati Shangri-La, Manila to raise awareness about the disease and emphasize the importance of early detection and appropriate intervention.

Hosted by Ria Tanjuatco-Trillo, the event was attended by Dr. Bernice Ong-de la Cruz of Philippine College of Chest Physicians, Dr. Imelda Mateo, Dr. Tim Trinidad, Dr. Patrick Moral and Dr. Mae Campomanes.

“Smoking and charcoal cooking emit noxious substances that inflame the lungs and the airways,” said De la Cruz, who is also the  medical education head of the COPD Council and lung specialist at the Chinese General Hospital.  She added, “COPD is characterized by persistent airflow limitation that is usually progressive and associated with an enhanced chronic inflammatory response in the airways and the lungs. Cigarette smoking continues to be identified as the most commonly encountered risk factor, accounting for 80 to 90 percent of cases. Other risk factors that should be taken into account include air pollution, exposure to certain dust, chemicals in the workplace, indoor air pollution from biomass cooking (i.e. firewood/charcoal), and heating in poorly ventilated dwellings. Only a few cases of COPD are caused by genetic condition.”

De la Cruz suggested that a clinical diagnosis should be considered in any person 40 years old and above who has risk factors such as exposure to noxious particles or gases. A COPD patient may not feel anything at the start and develop cough and sputum production during the mid to late stage of the disease.

As a tribute to the late Comedy King Dolphy, who succumbed to COPD, actor/director Eric Quizon joined the panel and shared how the disease not only affected his father, but also their family.

Quizon said, “My father was a heavy smoker and I was a witness to that. He was 46 when he consulted a doctor who said his lungs were already so black. It didn’t help that Dad was also asthmatic. It wasn’t identified yet as COPD, but definitely the doctor said it was emphysema.

“When Dad turned 80, he had this oxygen tank that he carried with him wherever he went. At that time we had this nine-city tour in the United States. During the course of the tour (the third leg), he suddenly had shortness of breath, he was having difficulty (breathing), his blood pressure was going up. He was scared; I knew he was scared like it was written all over his face. But he was able to go on with the rest of the trip. Later, Zsa Zsa (Padilla) approached me and said we had to do something because Dad was sick. So, we consulted his doctor and that was when we found out that he had COPD. It was a very emotional time for the family knowing that the disease was progressive and there was no cure,” shared Quizon.

He added, “It was good for us because we had time to prepare ourselves. But it was difficult for the family because it was not cheap. It was very expensive; we were spending P10 million to P15 million a year on his health care. That is how expensive it is to take care of someone with COPD. On the bright side, the ordeal solidified our whole family, all seven units of our family.”

Ending his talk, Eric said it is important to remember that for COPD patients, early detection of the disease and appropriate interventions are vital. To quote the World COPD Day’s theme: “It’s never too late.”

(Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.)