Tonight, the facade of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia will be illuminated in blue in solidarity with people suffering from pulmonary hypertension. Burgas and Plovdiv will also join the global initiative, which aims to raise awareness of this serious and often difficult-to-diagnose disease.

“Pulmonary hypertension is the invisible illness that leaves you breathless. Patients must constantly adapt to a changing new normal and depend on oxygen concentrators and costly maintenance therapy”, says Natalia Maeva, Chairwoman of the Bulgarian Society of Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension.

The organization is calling for the immediate resolution of administrative obstacles that are blocking access to oxygen devices for home use. In addition, access to lung transplants remains unsettled as there are no contracts in place with European clinics that perform the life-saving operations. Approximately 500 people in Bulgaria live with the disease.