News
Alpha-1 couple join COPD awareness campaign in England
Nottingham Evening Post
NOTTINGHAM, UK—Retired salesman Joe Lyons wants to help raise awareness of a campaign to uncover and treat COPD after he and his wife were both diagnosed with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency.
The retired salesman and his wife, Carol, both have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) caused by Alpha-1.
It is thought the odds of two married people having the condition, which leaves sufferers prone to COPD, are more than six million to one.
Health experts are targeting”hot spots” of COPD in the historic Nottingham area.
Lyons’ mobility has been reduced, forcing him to give up work and many of his hobbies.
The 62-year-old said: “To be told all of a sudden that you should put your feet up and do nothing is very hard to deal with. I am in favour of pulmonary rehabilitation, which I think is fantastic in reducing symptoms, and it is clear to me that education helps you keep control.
“It’s important that you manage your illness, not let your illness manage you.”
