Eileen

Eileen is a registered nurse with 30 years of experience in all areas of nursing, and is certified in Geriatrics by the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center. Although she no longer works full time she stays active in nursing as an educator. Eileen was diagnosed with COPD in 1998 but had symptoms for about five years prior to that. She now uses oxygen. Eileen attended pulmonary rehab and encourages others to “do the same for the wonderful benefits it gives.” She exercises, and loves to cook, read, and explore the internet. Eileen lives in Massachusetts.

Dee 

Dee experienced the heartache and loss of pulmonary disease at an early age when her mother died from complications of asthma at the age of just twenty-eight.  Too young to understand just what it was, Dee remembers only that her mother was very sick most of the time.

Dee herself was diagnosed with COPD in April 2005. “I didn't even know what it was, and no one offered me an explanation. Needless to say, I was scared to death. If it hadn't been for forums such as BBLW, I would not be doing as well as I am today and I am sure I would have just sat around and felt very much alone. These forums are a wealth of information and support and have guided me to help improve the quality of my life. The people here are caring and supportive and I feel I have made treasured friendships.”

Dee feels blessed to be married, now, for thirty-seven years to a wonderful man who puts others before himself.  Together they own and run a hardware store in their community. She has two grown children, and six, (she says she should have had them first), grandchildren. They also have a little dog, Casey, whom Dee lovingly refers to as her "Pred". dog (a topic she’ll leave alone for now!).

As a young family they enjoyed traveling, camping and snowmobiling. In later years Dee and her husband again started motorcycling, something they had stopped when they had their family. They’ve logged many happy miles on their old "GOLDWING", but Dee hasn't ridden in recent years.

“The best times of my life are the ones I share with my family. We are close and we spend a lot of time together and I can't imagine my life without them.

“I enjoy nature and we go to the mountains often just to enjoy the beauty of the area. I love the outdoors, and even though I really don't have a green thumb, I enjoy planting flowers. 

“COPD is NOT a death sentence and I want to extend a hand and offer hope and support to others...I want to make a difference.”

Neva

Neva suffered from shortness of breath for ten years and was diagnosed with Asthma. After a major lung infection that just wouldn’t go away, she insisted her family doctor refer her to a pulmonary doctor, a request she had made many times before. Her family doctor referred her to an allergist, and it was that doctor who finally gave her the correct diagnosis – Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency.

In spite of low lung function, Neva’s passion is to increase awareness of Alpha-1 and teach patients about educating themselves and communicating with their doctors to get the best possible care. Knowledge is power – and this power gives patients a voice in managing their own care.

Neva works full-time for the West Virginia Legislature and does volunteer work for the American Lung Association, the Alpha-1 Association, the Alpha-1 Foundation, and is currently the support group leader for the WV Alpha-1 Support Group.

She has been married for 21 years and has two college-age daughters. “Start by doing what’s necessary,” she says, “then what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

Peg

When she was diagnosed with COPD, Peg bounced between complete denial and grasping the “death sentence” she had been given. She had some shortness of breath and two to three bouts with bronchitis every year, but drugs cleared that up … so she continued to smoke and live in denial, hiding out in murder and mystery novels and pretty much living in a constant state of depression.

Last year she met Jane and her Pulmonary Rehab team and really began learning about her illness. She is now on oxygen 24/7, but finally smoke-free and working very hard to regain muscle strength and weight – and refusing to give in!

It’s been a long, and sometimes bumpy, journey from a stubborn smoker in denial of reality to acceptance of her disease. She wants to help others get past denial, and heal – or at least feel a little lighter in their journey.

She says: “I know I have a lot to give back to help others cross the bridge to a better quality of life. We all have to walk our own path, we just don’t have to walk it alone.”

Peg lives with her husband in West Michigan.

Darrell

Darrell retired in 2004 after 35 years in international business as a Civil Engineer, Project Manager, and a military officer. In parallel to that, he was diagnosed over twenty years ago with COPD. His mother died of COPD in 1992, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with the illness, but vowed not to give in to the disease without a fight.

Over the years Darrell has been an advocate of an active healthy lifestyle and attributes his success at delaying the progression of COPD to his daily workouts. His doctor says that most of his patients with twice the lung capacity can’t do half the things that Darrell makes part of his daily routine. Even with all the exercise he had done on his own, he found pulmonary rehab (PR) to be a great learning experience, and he continues to go regularly to PR maintenance sessions.

At this time, Darrell uses oxygen with exercise and at night. He gets support from his longtime friends at the gym, his PR pals, BBLW, and his family. Darrell’s daughter is a Nurse Practicioner (RN, NP) who watches him closely, not only as support but because she has early signs of lung disease as does her son. While it is not the alpha antitrypsin deficiency, it nevertheless shows an interesting predisposition in the family toward respiratory issues. Darrell also gets support from his wife who continues to teach yoga and manages a couple of yoga studios.

Steve

Growing up just outside Chicago, Steve’s life seemed to be going along just as planned. He had graduated from high school, had a lot of friends, was involved in activities at church, and had just gone to baseball try-out camp. As an only son, he was poised to someday carry on a successful family business.

But in just a moment, his life was changed forever in January of 1980 when he was injured while working with his father on the family farm. The result of his injury was that Steve became a quadraplegic.  Although Steve does not have pulmonary disease per se, he has experienced numerous health problems over the past 26 years, including needing a pacemaker, colostomy, and tracheotomy with oxygen, as well as experiencing several bouts of pneumonia and a collapsed lung. Nebulizer treatments and suctioning are a routine part of his day.

Sandy

Sandy is currently on leave from BBLW.

Lori (Advisor)

After losing her grandmother to lung cancer and her father to a long and cruel battle with COPD/Emphysema, Lori Palermo decided she had to do something to help others not have to go through what she and her family did. Seeing her dad suffer as a result of lack of education and support sparked Lori’s determination to learn all she could about COPD/Emphysema in order to help patients and their families struggling with the debilitating disease. A single mom, Lori works full time as a military auditor and also strives to increase COPD and smoking cessation awareness through writing stories and articles, working with community events, and running her website, www.loveyourlungsbreatheforlife.com . Lori enjoys reading, gardening, and listening to music. She lives in Pennsylvania.

Craig

Craig has been practicing Respiratory Therapy for fifteen years. He has a wide range of experience including emergency care, pediatrics, bronchoscopy assistance, and pulmonary function testing. He especially enjoys working in critical care, which he finds exciting and challenging in difficult situations. 

Craig is the author of BreathWish, a scriptural guide to smoking cessation and understanding COPD. A devout Christian, Craig is also involved in Heartwise Ministries, an organization helping provide health-related services to those in need.

A resident of Tennessee, Craig is married to his wife Melissa and has two young children.

Sandy

Coming soon—more about Sandy

Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT

Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT is the founder and director of Breathing Better, Living Well. She has worked as a respiratory therapist for over 25 years in all areas of care; medical, surgical, intensive care, and emergency, and also with patients in Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Better Breathers’ support group. She believes that a full life with chronic lung disease begins with effective education and support.

Jane is the author of Breathe Better, Live in Wellness: Winning Your Battle Over Shortness of Breath and is currently at work on Live Your Life With COPD: 52 Weeks of Health, Happiness and Hope. She lives in Michigan with her very patient family.

Click here to learn more about Jane.

Contributing Professionals

Contributing professionals are not responsible, nor liable for information found on the Breathing Better Living Well website. The answers here are not intended as medical advice but information only. We encourage you to discuss this information with your personal physician so he or she can consider if it is appropriate in your individual situation.

Robert A. Sandhaus, M.D., Ph.D., F.C.C.P.

Dr. Sandhaus has nearly forty years of experience in medicine and research aimed at improving our understanding of alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency and related disorders. He is board-certified in the specialty areas of internal medicine, pulmonary disease, and critical care medicine.

Dr. Sandhaus was a principal investigator for the NIH Alpha1-Antitrypsin Deficiency Registry in the early 1990s and is a founding member of the Boards of Directors of AlphaNet and the Alpha-1 Foundation. He joined the biopharmaceutical industry in 1994 and helped lead the clinical departments of Cortech, Inc., NeXstar Pharmaceuticals, and Gilead Sciences over the subsequent six years before accepting a position with AlphaNet and the Alpha-1 Foundation in April of 2000. He is now Clinical Director of the Alpha-1 Foundation and Medical Director and Executive Vice President of AlphaNet.

In addition, since 1981 Dr. Sandhaus has been a faculty member at the National Jewish Health in Denver, caring for one of the largest, continuously-followed groups of individuals with Alpha-1 in the world. He currently serves as Professor of Medicine and Director of the Alpha-1 Program at National Jewish Health.

Dr. Sandhaus received a B.A. in Molecular Biology from Haverford College and went on to receive a Ph.D. in experimental pathology and a medical degree at the Stony Brook University. He has held academic positions at Harvard Medical School, the University of California at San Francisco, and the University of Colorado.

Dr. Sandhaus was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He now lives in Bow Mar, Colorado with his family.

Dr. Francis V. Adams

Francis V. Adams, M.D. is a pulmonologist in private practice in New York City. Dr. Adams received his BA from Georgetown University and his medical degree from Cornell Medical College. He is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at New York University and an Attending Physician at the NYU Langone Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital in New York.

In 2006 Dr. Adams was sworn in as a police surgeon for the NYPD. He is the author of The Asthma Sourcebook (McGraw Hill) which is now in the 3rd Edition, The Breathing Disorders Sourcebook (McGraw Hill) and Healing Through Empathy (iUniverse). Dr. Adams is a contributor to The LA Times and hosts Doctor Radio on Sirius/XM satellite radio weekly. He has been named as one of the best doctors in the city by New York Magazine and in Top Doctors: New York Metro Area by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.

Dr. Adams has been interviewed on television, radio, and the Internet in regard to his books and has been quoted on the subject of asthma in newspaper and magazine articles. He has maintained a web site (www.adamsmd.com) for several years which includes a News page that lists the current advances in lung disease. Dr. Adams publishes an electronic newsletter weekly which is obtainable through his web site.

Dr. Vijai Sharma

Vijai Sharma, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with over 30 years experience. He had untreated asthma and chronic bronchitis since childhood and was diagnosed with Emphysema in 1994. Vijai strictly follows the COPD medical treatment and follows a program of wide-ranging exercise, nutrition and self-care.

Dr. Sharma specializes in mind-body medicine and appreciates how the anxiety, depression, anger, pain and stress can affect cardiopulmonary, colon and immune system function. He believes that we can utilize the body, breath, mind and spiritual energy for personal well-being, overall health and a better quality of life.

He is currently in private practice and directs the Behavioral Medicine Center in Cleveland, TN. He received extensive clinical training in India, the U.K. and Sweden and has been licensed as a clinical psychologist in Tennessee since 1981. He is a certified yoga teacher and registered with U.S. Yoga Alliance (500+hours) since 2004. He is a yoga instructor at the local YMCA and other fitness facilities and has completed advance teachers’ training in Yoga. Vijai believes yoga has helped him psychologically and physically in his battle with emphysema since being diagnosed.

Dr. Sharma has developed two exercise DVDs and companion workbooks, “Stretching and Breathing Exercises for Severe COPD,” and “Stretching and Breathing for COPD.” His clinical focus is on developing psychosocial interventions for anxiety and depression in COPD and he presents nationally on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Yoga Breathing Techniques for people with COPD. He has written over 300 self-care articles for people and families struggling with chronic illnesses. www.mindpub.com For specific COPD information: http://www.mindpub.com/copdhome.htm.

Helen Sorenson

Helen Sorenson, MA, RRT, CPFT, FAARC, is a respiratory therapist and the Director of Clinical Education and an Associate Professor at the Department of Respiratory Care at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas.

She obtained a degree in Biology from Dana College in Blair Nebraska; CRT, RRT, and CPFT from California College for Respiratory Care; and a Master of Arts (MA) in Social Gerontology from the University of Nebraska. Her passion for the art of respiratory care and helping patients breathe better is evident in everything she does.

Helen has three children, five grandchildren, and enjoys writing playing the guitar and reading. She is a published author and is currently at work on a textbook on geriatric care.

Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT

Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT is the founder and director of Breathing Better, Living Well. She has worked as a respiratory therapist for over 25 years in all areas of the hospital, emergency and trauma, and also with patients in Pulmonary Rehabilitation and the Better Breathers’ support group. She believes that a full life with chronic lung disease begins with effective education and peer support.

Jane is the author of Breathe Better, Live in Wellness: Winning Your Battle Over Shortness of Breath. She likes to write, cook, travel, and take walks. Jane lives in Michigan with her very patient family. Click here to learn more about Jane.