Dr. Al Buterol Helps Respiratory Health Association Fight Lung Disease

Scroll down to read about Dr. Al’s adventures during this spooky Halloween season!

The legend of Dr. Al Buterol goes way back to when Respiratory Health Association was founded in 1906. For nearly 120 years, he has been helping RHA fight lung disease.

His mission: To let kids know that lung disease doesn’t have to feel scary. Because with the right tools, a little laughter, and a skeleton with a pun problem, you can face anything – one breath at a time.

Saying No to Vapes

In his younger years, kids at school asked Dr. Al if he wanted a vape. Did he have the guts? But Dr. Al knew better because he had read about the dangers of vaping. He pulled himself together, said No Thanks, and walked away.

If you think that you or someone else might be addicted here are signs to look out for:

• Having to “go to the bathroom” several times during class
• Feeling irritable or easily frustrated
• Asking for money or spending more money than usual
• Losing composure when you can’t find your vape
• Always carrying your vaping device or automatically reaching for it

If your friends are pressuring you to vape, be like Dr. Al and don’t let them get under your skin. Here are some tips:

• Say “NO THANKS”
• Give an excuse
• Walk away
• Change the subject
• Use humor

The Final Chapter of the Curious Case of the State Street Skeleton

X Marks The Spot: All roads lead to home… 

‘Twas the morning of Halloween when all through the city, no block was left undecorated, no candy bowls left unfilled. The anatomical displays were hung with great flair outside our RHA headquarters, in the hope that Dr. Al Buterol would appear.

Earlier this month, Dr. Al Buterol took the breath away (no pun intended) from Chicagoans as he made his first appearance on State Street. With his white coat, rattling bones, and map in hand, our skeletal sidekick’s show has finally come to its temporary close. From the crowded Loop streets to the smoke that still surrounds the (allegedly) haunted Water Tower, it seems that our friend has arrived at where “X” marks the spot. 

There is no better Halloween treat than finding 206 bones at our RHA headquarters. Our friend is home, and he seems here to stay. The map may have led him to this final stop, but his journey to make clean air available to all is far from being completed. 

Dr. Al Buterol is now working with our friends at RHA as they tackle the ever-evolving issue of preventing lung disease and helping those who aren’t immortal like him to have better access to clean air through education, research, and policy change. Everyone deserves an equal chance to breathe clean, free air. Pollution is long established in cities, especially near public transport, industrial spaces, and tobacco smoke shops. 

But together, we can work with Dr. Al Buterol to challenge the norms and provide a better life for those who don’t have the resources to do so themselves. 

Dr. Al Buterol wants to give back to those who helped him on his journey, and this Giving Tuesday, you can join your favourite skeleton by donating to RHA to support our vision of clean air, healthier lungs, and programs that make a real difference for Chicagoans across the city to have almost healthier lungs than him. 

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The Curious Case of the State Street Skeleton, Vol 2

THIS JUST IN: it appears our bony friend is back on the move…

Earlier this morning, commuters at the Red Line Chicago station reported what they believed were “gentle clacks” echoing through the platform. Soon after, several witnesses claimed to have seen a skeleton in a white lab coat stepping onto Michigan Ave., map in hand and a Ventra pass in the other, seamlessly dodging vape clouds like phantom embers from the Great Chicago Fire still flickering above the pavement.

 If you’ve got a sudden sense of déjà vu, there’s a good reason for it.

Our beloved Dr. Al Buterol is clearly following his treasure map—and from what we can gather, the next “X” seems to be pointing toward Chicago’s most unexpected locations: The Historic (and possibly haunted) Water Tower. 

This downtown landmark has a tragic history. Located along The Magnificent Mile, the Historic Water Tower is a striking Gothic Revival building and was one of the few to survive the devastating Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Multiple reports have claimed that a shadowy figure can be seen in the tower’s top-floor windows, and it seems to have caught Dr. Al Buterol’s attention. 

Is he trying to tell us something? 

It makes sense that he stopped here. The Water Tower serves as a reminder of how quickly smoke can overtake a city and the permanent damage that can result from a single uncontrolled fire. Back in 1871, thick smoke clouded the city and choked the lungs of everyone, sparing none. 

Today, the smoke might not be as visible, but it is still present. 

It may come from traffic, wildfires far away, industry factories, or even the cloud of vape exhaled on a crowded sidewalk, but it affects us all the same. The lungs are conditioned to remember, and so is Dr. Al Buterol. Lungs scarred by pollution tell stories that linger, just like our friend. His time with us is clearly not over yet; it seems like he still has one more “X”  to find…

Our friends at RHA are committed to helping Dr. Al Buterol and all 206 of his bones on the final steps of his journey. Like him, we have heard countless stories across the Chicago area of those affected by respiratory diseases, and it is our goal to be the voice that they cannot. Every donation and every volunteer bolsters the strength of our voice and our mission to create a cleaner, more connected Chicago community. 

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The Curious Case of the State Street Skeleton

Here at the Respiratory Health Association (RHA), we’ve come across a rather unique dilemma that we think we ought to share. It all began this morning, October 13th, when the clock struck midnight. The Loop’s State Street skeletons were struck by a breath of air so clear it felt uncanny, maybe even supernatural. Suddenly, there was a rattling heard throughout the street that left a neat trail of bones rolling right into the CTA.

Where is Our Skeleton?

Based on field observations, we’ve deduced that this clean air swept right through our own skeleton figure, Dr. Al Buterol, straight between his ribs and into his glowing lungs, which began to rise and fall, according to eyewitnesses. Upon arrival at the scene, the RHA team discovered discarded bones in the place he once stood, along with something most peculiar… Near his last known location was a lone bony hand clutching a ripped piece of weathered paper. As we examined the evidence, we found this was no ordinary scrap, but a piece to a map leading to some kind of treasure – and we were right on the edge of where his journey began. 

One thing is clear: our beloved skeleton is on a mission. Not to haunt, but to help. And he’s got quite the itinerary; one that seems to be focused on one goal, putting healthy lungs back on the map. Propelled by these magic lungs, this skeleton has taken matters into his own… hand. After all, he is a doctor. These lungs seem to speak from within, as if it’s not just breath they carry – but the pulse of a heart that remembers what clean air feels like. 

On the Move… But Where?

That’s quite the question… Word on the street is that it’s full of bones! Dr. Al Buterol is popping up throughout Chicago, turning heads and raising awareness for lung health in his own… unconventional way. This week, he’s left State Street by train, rattling down the tracks to shine a light on the polluted air we expose ourselves to daily. Reminding us what we too often take for granted until it’s too late, the lungs need our protection from the unnoticed pollution that we can’t see with the naked eye.

The Dr. Al Buterol Assignment 

This Halloween, our mission has been brought to life – bones and all. Because when it comes to a nonprofit, what’s better than a giving heart? How about supernatural lungs and some very busy bones (206 to be exact). 

At RHA, our mission is to create better, brighter, and more breathable lives for Chicago citizens. This includes efforts to combat pollution in Chicago’s parks and transportation systems through policy and advocacy. This also includes supplying resources to reduce asthma and other lung diseases caused by air-borne chemicals, long-term exposure to pollution, and the big tobacco and cannabis industries. Check back in this month to find out where else Dr. Al Buterol finds himself, and discover the stories he shares about lung health along the way.