PHOTO BY PAUL HAGEDORN

GIFT OF BREATH

After a successful event at Saks Fifth Avenue Atlanta benefiting National Jewish Health (nationaljewish.org), we sat down with Paul Hagedorn to discuss how asthma and NJH have impacted his life and his loved ones.

Pediatric asthma is the No. 1 leading cause of missed school days and leading cause of adults missing work in the United States—a fact that might surprise many, but doesn’t surprise Atlantan Paul Hagedorn. He’s lived it.

It was a bright, sunny day in Montauk, N.Y., and 8-year-old Hagedorn raced behind family friends to explore the beach, when his chest tightened and his breath vanished. Luckily, his eldest sister, Susan, noticed the signs of an asthmatic episode and was there to spring into action. She rushed her little brother to the house where their mother injected him with adrenaline. If it wasn’t for Sue, Hagedorn wouldn’t be alive to tell this story.

Years later, Hagedorn is now the father of four beautiful children. One fall evening, his son Adriano was having a particularly bad day with asthma. Progressively it got worse until Hagedorn looked into his son’s eyes and saw a fear all too familiar to him. He rushed his son to Children’s, even getting pulled over in the process, which led to a police escort to the hospital once the officer realized the severity of the situation. “The one thing more frightening than... having an asthma attack is witnessing your small child having one,” remembers Hagedorn.

All these instances have come full circle for Hagedorn, the son of Miracle-Gro founder Horace Hagedorn, who has watched the disease impact his family members and friends for years. So, when he was in the position to give back, he knew where to place his efforts. “In the words of my father, ‘You can’t keep taking all the good stuff out of this earth, you’ve got to put something back,” says Hagedorn.

Original photography by Paul Hagedorn PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL HAGEDORN

The thing about asthma is that symptoms come on quickly and without much notice. “People in the late ’50s and ’60s had no idea how harmful secondhand smoke was. I remember going to my pediatrician in New York as a child and my doctor was smoking cigarettes as she talked to my mother,” says Hagedorn. Looking for a solution to help their son, Hagedorn’s parents eventually turned to National Jewish Health, formerly known as CARIH—an organization that ended up saving his life yet again. “When my parents dropped me off at a hospital in Denver, I didn’t have a clue what happened or how long I would be there,” says Hagedorn. He ended up staying at the facilities for 18 months, free of charge, which was a shock to the family. The Hagedorns, and specifically Horace, felt he owed Hagedorn’s life to them. “My father was an extremely generous man. Just a few years ago, the hospital brought me an album of beautiful letters he wrote showing his appreciation and pledging his support,” says Hagedorn. “It brought tears to my eyes.”

Two notes from Paul’s father to CARIH thanking them for taking in his son and nursing him to health. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL HAGEDORN

“YOU CAN’T KEEP TAKING ALL THE GOOD STUFF OUT OF THIS EARTH, YOU’VE GOT TO PUT SOMETHING BACK.” –HORACE HAGEDORN

Today, Hagedorn, alongside his beautiful and supportive wife, Julie, and their four children, are currently helping to fund research project Towards Preventing Childhood Allergies for NJH. The Hagedorns’ donation to this study is the largest contribution that he has made over his lifetime of giving. In addition, Hagedorn, inspired by his father’s philanthropic generosity, opened a contemporary photography gallery in which all proceeds are donated to support charities involved with women, children and families in need. Although, the gallery no longer exists, Hagedorn continues to sell his work to benefit charities. In October, all these avenues of giving came together in an event hosted by Saks Fifth Avenue. Guests were invited to a catered cocktail reception to view a “Best of Season” fashion show curated by Saks. Additionally, there was the unique opportunity of artwork drawings, original works by Hagedorn himself, a survivor and example of the great work that can be done at NJH. “I feel compelled to give back to continue to keep my father’s commitment alive. I continue to believe in National Jewish Health’s mission to battle respiratory diseases and allergies that have affected myself, my sister and my son.” All of this for a better tomorrow.

Two notes from Paul’s father to CARIH thanking them for taking in his son and nursing him to health. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL HAGEDORN