Whereas pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a debilitating and ultimately fatal lung condition that causes progressive scarring in the lungs and has no definitive cause; Whereas, as many as 200,000 individuals in the United States are known to suffer from the progressive, suffocating effects of pulmonary fibrosis; Whereas the average survival rate for the idiopathic form of pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is just 2.8 years and up to 80 percent of IPF patients die within 5 years of diagnosis; Whereas pulmonary fibrosis takes the lives of 40,000 or more individuals in the United States each year—approximately 1 every 13 minutes or 110 every day; Whereas many patients afflicted with pulmonary fibrosis are misdiagnosed for 1 to 3 years after presenting pulmonary fibrosis symptoms; Whereas, as of July 2017, there are no confirmed biomarkers for screening and testing for pulmonary fibrosis; Whereas a cure, treatment, or drug to halt the fibrotic process in pulmonary fibrosis does not yet exist; Whereas the symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis vary from person-to-person and include shortness of breath, persistent cough, finger clubbing , weight loss, and aching muscles and joints; Whereas courageous volunteers, dedicated researchers, tireless caregivers, and medical professionals are working tirelessly to improve the quality of life for individuals with pulmonary fibrosis and for the families of those individuals; and Whereas developing more effective treatments for pulmonary fibrosis and providing access to quality care for individuals with PF requires significantly increased basic and translational research funding and grants, patient and physician education, and enhanced community support services: Now, therefore, be it