Although she was diagnosed with primary pulmonary hypertension three years ago, Betty Lait isn't using her illness as an excuse to stay home.

As a volunteer for American Respiratory Alliance, Mrs. Lait, 66, of Hermitage, is always on the go.

"I'm not sitting at home dwelling on my illness," she said.

Primary pulmonary hypertension, which has no cure, is a rare disease that causes high blood pressure in the lungs by a narrowing of the lung's blood vessels. Primary pulmonary hypertension has no known cause; secondary pulmonary hypertension is caused by other lung or heart diseases or abnormal breathing processes.

One of Mrs. Lait's major accomplishments was establishing a support group for local patients who suffer from either primary or secondary pulmonary hypertension. The group, which is sponsored by American Respiratory Alliance of Northwestern Pennsylvania with the assistance of Accredo Therapeutics, Warrendale, Pa., will hold its first meeting at 2 p.m. March 21 at UPMC Horizon, Farrell.

"I've been working for three years to get a support group," Mrs. Lait said.

And that is not all she's been doing. Mrs. Lait is usually out and about with Marilyn McCall, lung health specialist with American Respiratory Alliance, and Bob Fink, a larynx cancer survivor who now uses a microphone to talk. The three of them go to local schools to speak to students about the effects of smoking. So far they've talked with 2,093 children in various Mercer County schools.

In 2001, she asked the mayors of Wheatland, West Middlesex, Greenville, Farrell, Sharon and Hermitage to sign a clean-air proclamation as an American Respiratory Alliance project.

Mrs. Lait, along with Mrs. McCall, has talked about the flu and pneumonia at senior centers in the county. She has also spoken to local Kiwanis about pulmonary hypertension, talked with Sam Bellich of the Mercer County Area Agency on WPIC-AM 790 about her disease and participated in the Health Fair, Kids Fest and Senior Health Fair at Shenango Valley Mall in Hermitage.

Last year she organized and got sponsors for an asthma camp, Camp Aces, for 23 children in Mercer County at Brandy Springs Park in Mercer. She raised $1,300 in gifts and monetary donations for the camp.

"I'm happy. I'm very content with what I'm doing. I'm not sitting at home worrying about my disease. I'm active and going," Mrs. Lait said.

In addition to her many activities, Mrs. Lait has also experienced a personal achievement.

Although she takes 16 pills a day to survive, she no longer uses her nebulizer, a breathing machine that helped to open her lung passages. One of her pills is a new drug called Tracleer, which she has been taking for a year. According to her doctors, she is doing well, and she said she feels "wonderful." She also recently went out into the cold winter air for the first time without wearing her cold-weather mask.

One option for treatment for primary pulmonary hypertension is a lung transplant, but Mrs. Lait said, "A lung transplant is not for me."

Mrs. Lait credits the support of her husband, Jack, and her faith for keeping her active despite her illness.

"My faith is keeping me going," she said. "If it wasn't for my faith, I wouldn't be at the point I am in my life."

For a free cold-weather mask, contact the American Respiratory Alliance at 1 (800) 352-0917.