Oakbrook Terrace stair climb helps others breathe easier

Stickney firefighter Steve Hilk had a personal reason for wanting to complete the 2010 Fight for Air Climb at Oakbrook Terrace Tower Sunday.

In 1993, his grandfather died of lung cancer, costing Hilk the chance of getting to know him.

After completing the course - which consisted of the building's 31 flights of stairs - Hilk said the event is a great way to raise awareness of lung diseases.

"You have got to be grateful for healthy lungs," Hilk said after he and several other Stickney firefighters finished the course. "There are people dying of cancer who wish they could do this."

About 60 area firefighters and more than 400 people took the challenge, which is an annual fundraiser for the American Lung Association of Greater Chicago.

Spokeswoman Katie Lorenz said hearing people's stories as they get set to start the course gets her emotional.

"I'm inspired by every single one of them," she said. "It's amazing. These people are actually doing something about (lung disease)."

The climbers had many reasons to participate. Lorenz said some suffer from asthma and the climb was a way of fighting the condition.

"They are climbing to show that they are not going to let it hold them back," Lorenz said.

For Lorenz, her involvement stems from a grandmother who suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a condition characterized by long-term cough and shortness of breath, after smoking for nearly 40 years. The money raised at the event will go toward smoking cessation programs.

Each participant paid a $25 entry fee and raised $75 from outside donations. As they signed up, they chose whether to run the stairs up to three times, which meant 93 flights of stairs.

Aurora resident Mike Ottesen may benefit from those programs. The 21-year-old said he started smoking just more than a year ago. He said this year's climb of 93 flights was much more difficult than 2009.

"I was in better shape last year," he said.