Tribute Film about Leonard Nimoy Shown at the National Conference on Tobacco or Health

    DENVER, CO, April 01, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- It has been just over two year since legendary actor, Leonard Nimoy succumbed to COPD. Nimoy smoked for decades and recognized this as the cause of his lung condition though he had quit long before his diagnosis. He spent many years as TV's beloved, Spock, taking viewers on missions to distant galaxies, but his final, and what he considered his most important mission, he embarked upon away from the lights of Hollywood. He spent his final years trying to raise awareness about COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. COPD often goes un-diagnosed until it is too late for treatment to be effective. It is estimated that as many as 13 million people may have COPD and not know it. There is no cure for COPD but the earlier treatment starts, the more successful it is at prolonging life and providing better quality of life. Mr. Nimoy also spoke often to his million plus, Twitter followers about the importance of quitting smoking, or better yet, never starting.

Both as a tribute and to help further his mission, his daughter Julie Nimoy and her husband, David Knight, have created a documentary entitled, Remembering Leonard, His Life, Legacy, and Battle with COPD. It is fitting that one of the first places this film will be shown is at the premier gathering of the United States tobacco control movement, The National Conference on Tobacco or Health. This conference occurs every 5 years and is attended by participants from around the world. Government agencies and government funded organizations gather here to strategize over the best way to get the word out about the health risks of tobacco use. This year's conference will take place in Austin, Texas. Forums will be held on such subjects as how to steer kids away from tobacco use, E-cigarette public education, the smoke-free HUD housing rule, and the problem of tobacco use in Asia, South America, and other developing regions.

One of the struggles is those battling COPD is that they are often required to be on supplemental oxygen infringing on their independence and limiting social contact. Mr. Nimoy led a very busy, active life before his diagnosis. He and his wife had a family getaway in Lake Tahoe which sits at about 6,225 feet above sea level. They enjoyed hosting their large blended family for weekends on the lake and enjoying the beautiful mountain vistas. As his conditioned worsened, being at higher altitudes and travel in general became more challenging. He eventually purchased a portable oxygen concentrator to get away from heavy and cumbersome oxygen tanks. In his later years he was often photographed using the tiny AirSep Focus that he purchased from 1st Class Medical. Caleb Umstead, Founder and President of 1st Class Medical introduced the film at the conference. Following the film Julie and David joined the theater via Skype for a live question and answer session.

1st Class Medical is one of the largest distributors of portable oxygen concentrators in the world. Its employees had a special affection for Mr. Nimoy and his voice on the phone always seemed to generate a certain excitement in the office among Trekkie and non-Trekkie alike. When production of the movie was announced the 1st Class Medical marketing team reached out to Julie Nimoy via her Twitter account asking to be a part of the project. "Mr. Nimoy was diagnosed with a serious, chronic health condition but he had a family, an active social life, and many interests that he wanted to continue to pursue. He is an American icon recognized the world over but his story is not unlike that of the rest of our patients, no matter who they are or where they live. They just want to go on living independent lives and enjoying the things that they have always enjoyed. Mr. Nimoy's most famous quote was 'Live, Long, and Prosper'. That's what we want to help our patients to do and that's why we were 100% on board to help the Nimoy family get this film made to get this important message out."

Throughout the summer Remembering Leonard will be shown at various festivals and events across the nation. Follow them on Facebook for upcoming announcements.

1st Class Medical is one of the largest distributors of portable oxygen concentrators world wide. They offer patients the most state of the art oxygen equipment to help them maintain their freedom and independence. The are also innovators creating new solutions to help those with chronic respiratory problems to empower patients to better manage their conditions. They are the creators of the Breathe Coach Mobile App.

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