You are about to leave a GSK website
You are about to leave a GSK website. By clicking this link, you will be taken to a website that is independent from GSK. The site you are linking to is not controlled or endorsed by GSK and GSK is not responsible for its content.
It’s important for adults 50 years and older with certain underlying medical conditions to learn about their risk for severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection and how to help prevent it, so we can help
Sideline RSV
BE INSPIRED BY SENIOR ATHLETES
We’re taking you inside the National Senior Games, where thousands of athletes from age 50 to over 100 aren’t just competing—they’re rewriting the rules on aging. These athletes are striving to live longer and healthier lives not only through diet and exercise, but also by taking an active role in their health, which starts with educating themselves about infections like RSV. Their powerful stories will inspire you to defy expectations, reclaim your health, and get moving.
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
Marc Middleton
Growing Bolder Founder & CEO
MARC MIDDLETON: “Hello, I’m Marc Middleton, from Growing Bolder. I’m a senior athlete who started a business in my sixties, and in my seventies I’m still going strong. A ‘stay in the game’ attitude is key to happy, healthy, and active aging. As we age, our immune systems naturally decline, which means we can face more challenges to staying well. One of those challenges is RSV, a common, contagious but potentially serious respiratory virus that can cause infections of the lungs and airways.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
RSV = respiratory syncytial virus
MARC MIDDLETON: “Each year in the US among adults aged 65 years and older, 177,000 hospitalizations are estimated to occur due to RSV. Of which approximately 14,000 cases result in death. Symptoms include runny nose, sneezing, dry coughing, sore throat, headache or fever.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
Each year in the US among adults aged 65 years and older, 177,000 hospitalizations are estimated to occur due to RSV. Approximately 14,000 cases result in death. Symptoms include runny nose, sneezing, dry coughing, sore throat, headache or fever.
MARC MIDDLETON: “I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, being inspired by, and learning from four senior athletes who struggle with chronic conditions like asthma. But they haven’t let that keep them from engaging in life with the people, the passions, and the sports they love. They're motivated to proactively manage their health, to help prevent respiratory illnesses like severe RSV from pausing their lives and keeping them from doing the things they love. These are their stories as they prepared for and competed in the National Senior Games and share their determination to keep on keepin’ on! I hope they inspire you to be proactive in your health practices to help you also keep living life unpaused. And as we’ve learned from the athletes you’re about to meet, when it comes to living your life -- it’s not about age. It’s about attitude. It’s about taking responsibility for your health through proactive practices, like talking to your doctor about RSV risk and vaccination.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED
HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
presented by GSK
TEXT ON SCREEN:
HOPE
TEXT ON SCREEN:
INSPIRATION
TEXT ON SCREEN:
POSSIBILITY
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED
HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
presented by GSK
MARC MIDDLETON: “Over 12,000 athletes from around the world, including all 50 states, compete in the National Senior Games. Some are former Olympians and college stars, but the majority are weekend warriors.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME presented by GSK
CAROLE AGE 63 HOMETOWN San Jose, CA SPORT Track & Field (Discus, Hammer, Javelin)
MARC MIDDLETON: “Men and women like Carole, who have used organized sports to help them cope with serious health challenges and are now committed to the kind of preventative healthcare practices that can help keep them in the game. Carole is a world-ranked track and field athlete. Her specialty is the hammer throw.”
CAROLE: “There it is.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Until recently, Carole had never even thought about competing in the National Senior Games, let alone winning national championships.”
CAROLE: “It was nowhere on my radar. In my late 40s, I started to feel fatigue. I started to have muscle and joint pain.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME presented by GSK
CAROLE, 63 Track & Field
CAROLE: “It took till about 50 before someone recognized that I had rheumatoid arthritis, a disease that affects the joints, but it can also affect the heart and lungs.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
CAROLE, 63 Carole is a paid spokesperson for GSK
MARC MIDDLETON: “Carole began to improve her daily lifestyle, but her asthma, her compromised immune system, and her age all put her at increased risk for severe respiratory syncytial virus or RSV, a common contagious virus.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common, contagious, and potentially serious respiratory virus. While RSV typically causes mild symptoms and can last up to 2 weeks, it can be severe for certain adults.
MARC MIDDLETON: “In older adults, including those with underlying conditions, RSV can cause severe infections in the lungs and airways.”
CAROLE: “I was diagnosed with RSV in 2017. When I had it, it was difficult to breathe. I have a chronic illness and so I've been sick before, but I didn't see this one coming.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “After experiencing RSV, Carole had a renewed focus on health and began having more proactive conversations with her doctor.”
CAROLE: “I want to be at my best for every aspect of my life, but particularly, athletics. I take that seriously.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Her perspective shifted when she saw a story about a competitive swimmer that changed the trajectory of her life.”
CAROLE: “She'd set records, and she'd won a certain amount of medals in the Senior Olympics. And I said, ‘Wait, that's a thing?’ And so then, immediately I grabbed my laptop and I started looking and I said, ‘Well, if they got swimming, they probably have track and field. I think that's something I'd like to try.’”
MARC MIDDLETON: “In her late fifties, Carole took up the javelin, the discus, and the hammer throw.”
CAROLE: “It was seeing someone that was over 50 that decided that she wasn't going to let being over 50 stop her from living. And that resonated with me because that's how I feel.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Once RSV vaccines became available, Carole decided to get vaccinated against RSV.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
Talk to your healthcare provider to see if RSV vaccination is appropriate for you.
CAROLE: “So I talked to my doctor about receiving RSV vaccination. I do not wanna be sidelined, I do not wanna be sick, I do not wanna be slowed down.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Carole has three sons and knows that her example can have a tremendous impact on their future.”
CAROLE: “I want them to see that age is not a reason to give up their goals or to not pursue something new. Come on, let's go. I want my grandkids to know that grandma can catch you. You're not getting away. Wee! Wee. You're going faster.”
SYDNEY: “She loves to take the kids to the park.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
SYDNEY Carole’s daughter-in-law
SYDNEY: “And she even bought them a mini javelin, that way they could get a little bit of exposure to what grandma does.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Carole won a bronze medal in her age group at the 2024 World Championships and a silver medal at the National Senior Games here in Des Moines.”
CROWD: “Yes, yes! Nice!”
MARC MIDDLETON: “But she already achieved her biggest goal before making a single throw.”
CAROLE: “It's been a road, but it's been a road of gratitude.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Carole has gone from not being able to get up, to refusing to give up or put her life on pause. She's a great example that even with multiple chronic conditions, it's never too late to embrace preventative health measures like vaccination against RSV.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
SidelineRSV.com
MARC MIDDLETON: “And that's why I encourage you to visit SidelineRSV.com to learn more about RSV and find helpful resources like a discussion guide with questions to ask your doctor.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
COMING UP
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
MARC MIDDLETON: “Coming up, we're diving into life with Julie, who didn't discover her love of swimming until her sixties and is now competing at the national level and inspiring all around her to lean into life.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME presented by GSK
MARC MIDDLETON: “Welcome back to ‘Life Unpaused: How Senior Athletes Stay in the Game,’ presented by GSK. The National Senior Games inspire adults 50 plus with the camaraderie and challenge of competition, fueling health, connection, and a passion to keep moving.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
Marc Middleton Growing Bolder Founder & CEO
MARC MIDDLETON: “They’ve empowered themselves by staying active, socially engaged and doing all they can to prevent the kind of health issues that can put life on pause. Now, these are athletes just like Julie, a 64-year-old from California who didn't start swimming competitively until just a few years ago. For Julie, swimming has quickly become a life-changing passion that has led to better health, stronger family bonds, and a renewed outlook on life.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME presented by GSK
JULIE AGE 64 HOMETOWN Fremont, CA SPORT Swimming
DRAKE: “Take your marks. Hop.”
JULIE: “In my mid fifties, I was not in the best situation. I was depressed. I had gained a lot of weight. I was inactive. I was in a lot of pain, you know,
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
JULIE, 64 Swimming
JULIE: “on a daily basis, and I was struggling to”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
JULIE, 64 Julie is a paid spokesperson for GSK
JULIE: “find something that I could do to kind of just break out of that. About two and a half years ago, I found swimming, which if you had asked me a long time ago, I would've said, ‘No way.’ But once I sort of started to explore it for myself, I just fell in love with it.”
DRAKE: “You want to angle your back from hips to shoulders where you want to go, like you're aiming an arrow.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
DRAKE Swim coach
DRAKE: “She found us online and she showed up on the pool deck and was like, ‘Here I am. Let's do this.’”
JULIE: “When I get in that water, mentally, I'm just in a completely different space.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Swimming was a sport Julie watched for years as her son Michael swam on teams from childhood through college. Now it was his turn to be a spectator and cheer his mom on.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
MICHAEL Julie’s son
MICHAEL: “I was shocked when she said she had joined a swim team. I was like ‘Uhh, what are you talking about?’”
JULIE: “It was just this role reversal and he was here and he's like, ‘You did a great job, Mom,’ and he's putting the towel on and then I got some medals and he's like, ‘Let me take some pictures of you.’ It was a really special time. It was just the two of us.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Julie swims in spite of health issues that make it a challenge. She has chronic pain from old soccer injuries and developed asthma, a condition that puts her at increased risk for severe RSV and makes her ever mindful of taking preventative steps to avoid respiratory infections.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common, contagious, and potentially serious respiratory virus. While RSV typically causes mild symptoms and can last up to 2 weeks, it can be severe for certain adults.
JULIE: “My doctor told me that if I were to be infected with RSV, that would make that situation much more complicated for myself, including a higher risk of hospitalization, and that's not something that I'm interested in at all.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
Talk to your healthcare provider to see if RSV vaccination is appropriate for you.
JULIE: “I got vaccinated so I can help to avoid getting sick with severe RSV and continue supporting others in my family. I'm a caregiver to my aunt, who lives next door. She's 88 years old and she has a chronic respiratory condition. So, it's important for me to stay as healthy as I can stay so that I can give as much as I can of myself to support her with her needs.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
KATHERINE Julie’s aunt
KATHERINE: “It's wonderful to have her next door. It's a great source 'cause I'm by myself, so. All I have to do is pick up the phone and she's there for me, which is a great help.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Julie once thought that her days as an athlete ended in college, but now that she's qualified for the National Senior Games, it's game on once again.”
DRAKE: “Oh, I think she's ready. Yeah, I mean, mindset's everything, and she's always so ready to go.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Unfortunately, Julie fractured two ribs just a few weeks before arriving in Des Moines, but she was determined to enjoy the experience that she worked so hard to achieve.”
JULIE: “Well, I just kind of put it together and lowered my expectations, and I was able to dive and do all the turns, and I was really proud that I was able to change my exercise routine and figure out a way to make it work so that I could compete. And of course, I wasn't competing at the level that I would've liked to compete, but I was able to come and be here and have this experience, and I'm so happy that I was able to do that. I beat my time.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Swimming helped Julie find her way forward.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
COMING UP
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
MARC MIDDLETON: “Coming up, see how a love of golf created a family and provided the motivation to battle a serious health setback. We're hitting the links next on ‘Life Unpaused: How Senior Athletes Stay in the Game,’ presented by GSK.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME presented by GSK
MARC MIDDLETON: “Inspiration is everywhere at the National Senior Games, where men and women from age 50 to over 100 continue to rewrite the record books and expand the boundaries of possibility for all. Welcome back to ‘Life Unpaused: How Senior Athletes Stay in the Game,’ presented by GSK. Whether we want to become athletes or not, these competitors are providing us all with a roadmap for a more vibrant, healthier life. As different as all of these athletes are, they do share three things in common. Regular physical activity, strong social connections, and daily preventive healthcare practices. Dr. Leonard Friedland, GSK’s Vice President and Director of Scientific Affairs and Public Health, has more on the keys to happy and healthy aging.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
Dr. Leonard Friedland Vice President, Director, Scientific Affairs and Public Health, GSK Vaccines
DR. LEN: “As we age, our immune systems decline. We're more apt if we get an infection to get a serious outcome from it. And so in addition to exercise and social connections, sleep, good diet, prevention is so important. One particular disease that we're focused in on is respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and RSV is a common contagious virus. As we get older, the risk of getting severe RSV infections increases. In the United States, there's approximately 177,000 hospitalizations caused by RSV each year, and of those, 14,000 people will die from RSV every year. People at highest risk for RSV include adults over the age of 50, especially those who have some underlying medical conditions, such as COPD, asthma, and congestive heart failure. If they get a case of RSV, they can get very, very ill.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
TEXT ON SCREEN:
The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends RSV vaccination for everyone 75 years and older and for adults 50 through 74 years of age who are at increased risk of severe RSV illness.
DR. LEN: “That if you're 50, you should speak with your doctor, speak with your pharmacist, see if you have some of the underlying risk factors that could put you at increased risk for severe outcomes from RSV and then discuss vaccinations that may be an appropriate option for you. And so, I think the whole picture of exercise, social connections, and prevention is a key to staying healthy.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “The National Senior Games is not just an international sports competition. It’s a grassroots health and wellbeing movement, and it's proof that it's never too late to get into an activity you love or take steps to help prevent illness.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME presented by GSK
MICHAEL AGE 60 HOMETOWN Auburndale, FL SPORT Golf
MARC MIDDLETON: “For Michael, that activity is golf. The game has given him a lifetime of special moments. It's led to lifelong friendships, a loving marriage, and a growing family. It even saved him when he felt like giving up.”
CROWD: “That's in the hole. Yeah! WOOO!”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Michael is more than your average golfer. An amateur has a 12,500-to-one chance of recording a single hole in one. Mike has had 10, including on a par four.”
MICHAEL: “Here it is, right there. Mwah!”
MARC MIDDLETON: “He arrived in Des Moines with extra motivation for a gold medal, fresh off a silver medal finish at the last National Senior Games.”
MICHAEL: “We all want to win. I mean, that's why you're there.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
MICHAEL 60, Golf
MICHAEL: “Yes, I expect to win, but that's not my priority. My identity is not tied up in my golf score.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Mike is a former college baseball star who also had the honor of carrying the Olympic torch before the 1996 games. As he's aged, asthma has challenged his active lifestyle, but nothing has sidelined him like a severe battle with RSV.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
RSV = respiratory syncytial virus
TEXT ON SCREEN: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common, contagious, and potentially serious respiratory virus. While RSV typically causes mild symptoms and can last up to 2 weeks, it can be severe for certain adults.
MICHAEL: “RSV just flat knocked me out. I had to go to the ER twice because my RSV was so severe, my oxygen levels were low, and I had to have breathing treatments.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Mike's battle with RSV inspired him to take charge of his personal health. He decided to be more physically active, which for him meant more time on the golf course.”
BROOKE: “Golf honestly saved him.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
BROOKE Michael’s daughter
BROOKE: “His rough days, I don't know what that would look like if he didn't have such a love and passion for golf to get him outside, to get him up.”
MICHAEL: “Really, the Games was what motivated me to get off my butt and start moving.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
MORGAN Michael’s daughter
MORGAN: “Once he sets his mind to something, he finishes it. No matter what trials and tribulations come.”
MICHAEL: “My doctor told me, because I have asthma, I'm at an increased risk for severe RSV.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
Talk to your healthcare provider to see if RSV vaccination is appropriate for you.
MICHAEL: “And so I went to my doctor, and he recommended to be vaccinated.”
BROOKE: “Oh, good job!”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Golf was there for Mike when he needed it most, spurring him to get back on his feet, and now he's sharing his passion with his five daughters and 11 grandchildren.”
MICHAEL: “The kids will hear what you say, but they're gonna watch what you do. And it's the same way with the grandkids. They see us playing golf, and so now they want to play golf. So we definitely have a responsibility to them to carry on and maintain.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “His family's infatuation with the game stems back to a fateful lesson more than 20 years ago when Mike was an instructor at a local golf club and first met Deborah.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
DEBORAH Michael’s wife
DEBORAH: “I was playing in the state amateur and needed some help. Mike was working at the golf course that we would practice at.”
MICHAEL: “So she came in and I'm like, ‘Hmm, she’s cute and she's, she’s nice.’”
DEBORAH: “He would sit there, and he'd put the ball on the tee, and I'd hit it, and I just fell in love with him right then. Woo!”
MICHAEL: “Good shot. Look at you. She's absolutely my most favorite person to play golf with, and so it's brought our marriage together and stronger.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “The National Senior Games became another opportunity for Mike to showcase his resiliency. Just a week before arriving in Des Moines, he was battling a sinus infection. But with his doctor's clearance, he teed off against many of the nation's best. Although he didn't receive a medal, he returns home with a well-earned sense of pride and an even greater excitement for the many matches and victories still ahead.”
MICHAEL: “To be a National Senior Games athlete to me is important because it gives me a direction, a drive. It has changed my whole focus on everything I do. It's not about the medal, it's about forcing yourself to overcome what's happening to make yourself a better person. It's called fortitude, you know, and determination. You have to just, you gotta see the obstacle and just do your best to overcome it. Today, the obstacle got me, but tomorrow I'm gonna get it.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Michael has made every swing count, and you can too. It's never too late to get in the game.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
COMING UP
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
MARC MIDDLETON: “Coming up, the power of pickleball. We're picking up a paddle with Shawn as ‘Life Unpaused: How Senior Athletes Stay in the Game,’ presented by GSK, continues.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
presented by GSK
MARC MIDDLETON: “The fastest growing sport in the world is now pickleball. It's also the number one sport at the National Senior Games in terms of overall competitors. It's growing so fast because anyone of any age can learn to play and enjoy it almost immediately.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME presented by GSK
SHAWN AGE 62 HOMETOWN Oceanside, CA SPORT Pickleball
MARC MIDDLETON: “Like most of the competitors here, 62-year-old Shawn from Oceanside, California found the game later in life after her son invited her to play.”
SHAWN: “Six, one, one.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Shawn is enjoying her regular pickup game with her twin sons, Brent and Blake, and her friend, Dawn”
BLAKE: “Two, six, two.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “It was Blake who first introduced the game to Shawn.”
SHAWN: “He came home one weekend and said, ‘Oh my gosh, Mom,’”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
SHAWN, 62 Pickleball
SHAWN: “‘I've gotta show you this game.’”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
SHAWN, 62. Shawn is a paid spokesperson for GSK.
SHAWN: “‘It's amazing. You're gonna love it.’ And he was right. I loved it.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Shawn's competitive nature quickly took her game beyond family and friends and a decades long battle with asthma became an increasing concern.”
SHAWN: “I didn't have asthma until I was in my 20s, and I started having some breathing issues. The worst one was probably when my boys, when my twins were four, and I had a really bad attack, couldn't breathe.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
BLAKE Shawn’s son
BLAKE: “And we actually had to call 911 to get 'em to come save her.”
SHAWN: “I've learned that having asthma can put me at risk for a severe RSV infection.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
RSV = respiratory syncytial virus
SHAWN: “That's pretty scary.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
RSV is a common, contagious, and potentially serious respiratory virus. While RSV typically causes mild symptoms and can last up to 2 weeks, it can be severe for certain adults.
SHAWN: “Having RSV could have a giant impact on the things that I'm doing and wanna be doing. Two of my boys are getting married in the next year, and I can't imagine having something like RSV, being in the hospital or being sick enough that I couldn't maybe attend the wedding.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
Talk to your healthcare provider to see if RSV vaccination is appropriate for you.
SHAWN: “So I definitely plan on talking to my doctor about RSV and possible vaccination. Oh, and that's game!”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Besides family, friends, and pickleball, Shawn has a passion for mission work.”
SHAWN: “We do meal packing events here in the States. And then I go to Ecuador. I work in very, very rural communities with children who have no roads, no running water, no doors or windows on their buildings, and we're able to bring meals to them. I think as we age, we think that you start losing your purpose, that we can't have the impact that we had when we were younger. And I think I actually have way more now.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “Shawn has a supportive life partner in her husband, Joe, who accompanies her to most tournaments.”
SHAWN: “I'm pretty fortunate. We've been married a long time now, almost 39 years. We're starting to have a lot of fun together, which is kind of cool. We're not gonna be the old people sitting around, watching TV and just growing old. I wanna be able to show my kids that no matter how old you are, you can still do the things that bring you joy, bring you fulfillment.”
MARC MIDDLETON: “That determination has carried Shawn all the way to the National Senior Games, and while she isn't taking home a medal, she is returning with something far more valuable.”
SHAWN: “Yeah, I'm really competitive, so getting a taste of a tournament and doing well, you know, just makes me want to go more and more places. And to be able to travel like this and see different places and meet different people and just experience this on a really different level is kind of fun and exciting.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
Marc Middleton Growing Bolder Founder & CEO
MARC MIDDLETON: “We've introduced you to just four of the over 12,000 athletes competing at the National Senior Games. Just four of the nearly 100,000 who compete year-round in their State Games. Just four of the millions of older adults who participate in recreational sports. Now, individually, they’re living life unpaused, but together, they’re providing a simple playbook for active longevity that we can all follow. Find an activity that you enjoy and keeps you physically and socially active, and take a lesson from Carole, Julie, Michael, and Shawn, and talk to your doctor about RSV risk and vaccination.”
SHAWN: “I would encourage you to go to SidelineRSV.com.”
MICHAEL: “There's some incredible resources there that you can educate yourself on RSV.”
JULIE: “It has questions that'll help you to have a conversation with your doctor.”
SHAWN: “Download the materials and take them with you to your next appointment.”
CAROLE: “I’m a huge advocate for preventative care. That’s why I encourage you to go to SidelineRSV.com.”
TEXT ON SCREEN:
Visit SidelineRSV.com to learn more
Presented by GSK
GSK has provided both financial and content support for this program.
Produced in association with Growing Bolder and the National Senior Games Association.
Intended for US audiences only
Trademarks are property of their respective owners.
©2026 GSK or licensor
NPUS-RVUID260009 July 2026
Produced in USA.
TEXT ON SCREEN:
LIFE UNPAUSED HOW SENIOR ATHLETES STAY IN THE GAME
Presented by GSK
ABOUT SIDELINE RSV
Sideline RSV is a health education campaign by GSK aimed at helping older adults and their loved ones know the risks of RSV. RSV is a common, contagious respiratory virus that typically causes mild symptoms. Adults 75 years and older, or 50-74 years old living with certain underlying conditions – such as chronic heart or lung disease, or a weakened immune system – have an increased risk of severe RSV infection. Each year approximately 177,000 adults age 65 or older are hospitalized in the US due to RSV and an estimated 14,000 of those cases result in death. Adults aged 50-74 years with certain health conditions like chronic heart or lung disease are at an increased risk of developing severe RSV disease which may lead to hospitalization.
All adults aged 75 and older and those 50 years and older with certain underlying conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and heart failure are at an increased risk for severe RSV infection. RSV infection can exacerbate symptoms of certain underlying conditions and can even cause hospitalization.
Explore the GSK Help Center website to find customer service support and contact information.