We are sad to report that Vlady Rozenbaum passed away in his sleep on October 17, 2015. While he may have appeared somewhat short in physical stature, Vlady was a giant advocate for those with COPD. The founder of COPD Alert, an online resource encompassing everything about COPD, Vlady made it his mission to educate, support and empower patients and professionals alike. For the past several years, Vlady was a regular participant in seminars, advocacy efforts, education days and professional conferences across the globe. Along with COPD Alert, Vlady served in many capacities with the COPD Foundation, last serving on our Coaches Corner and COPD PPRN.
Vlady was born in the Soviet Union during World War 2, later moving to Poland. While in Poland, he attended Warsaw University studying English and linguistics, writing translations for the US Department of Commerce. In 1969, he and his wife Rita immigrated to the United States as political refugees.
Suffering from various respiratory related problems his entire life, after being diagnosed with COPD in the year 1980, Vlady set about educating himself in respiratory medicine and COPD. Vlady became a patient authority in disease management, the importance of pulmonary rehabilitation, and the various medications and technologies used in the treatment of COPD. His founding of COPD Alert provided the depth of his knowledge and passionate support to the COPD community he so loved.
Vlady believed that everything in life had an answer, and for many years those answers were provided to the patient community by Vlady. In Vlady our community found a hero and a voice. While the voice may now be silenced in death, the words he spoke, the efforts he made and the passion he gave so freely will continue to influence generations to come. In the future just as in past days, his name will be remembered and his presence missed not only by those with COPD but the professionals who looked up to Vlady.
The COPD Foundation extends our sincere sympathies to Vlady’s beloved wife Rita and his family, COPD Alert members and countless friends.