Beacon Sales to Benefit Pulmonary Fibrosis

Chris Beytes

PanAmerican Seed announced the charity that will benefit from a portion of global seed sales of the company’s Beacon downy mildew-resistant impatiens will be pulmonary fibrosis—specifically the Canadian Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation and the Dutch Association of Pulmonary Fibrosis Patients.

Why these two groups—and why not a U.S. counterpart? Marketing Manager Claire Josephson explained that the goal of Beacon has been to shine a light (get it?) on lesser-known charities that do good research that can eventually benefit all sufferers of a particular disease.

She says these two less-well-known organizations work to support people living with the disease, as well as provide education, information, advocacy and support to ensure access to quality health care. They also invest in research to offer the hope of new and improved treatments for PF and an eventual cure.

Pulmonary Fibrosis is a disease that scars and stiffens the lungs, making it increasingly difficult to breathe and accomplish daily tasks. There’s also evidence of “familial” PF diagnosis, where genetic predisposition and family history are strongly associated with increased risk to the disease.

In 2020, Beacon sales provided nearly $56,000 to the OI Foundation to support those living with osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease). GT