Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

I’d describe myself as outgoing and chatty, with a competitive streak. I’ve always loved horses — they’re my lifelong passion. When you have horses, they become a part of your family.

I used to ride for a living. I was a show jumper, and I absolutely loved competing. It gave me such a thrill! I competed professionally until 1998 when I sustained an injury.

Then, I became a farmer and started teaching others to horse ride, which brought me so much joy. That is, until I became too unwell with emphysema to teach.

I was diagnosed with COPD in around 1990, after struggling with shortness of breath. It wasn’t too bad at first, but my condition kept getting worse over time.

It got to the point where I was breathless every day. This had a huge impact on my life. The worst thing was the tiredness. Being breathless is exhausting.

My tiredness started to affect other things too, like my memory. I’d be going to the shop, and I’d have to stop so many times to catch my breath that, by the time I got to the shop, I couldn’t remember what I’d gone out to buy!

Not being able to breathe properly makes everything tough. Even really basic things that you used to take from granted, like bending over to do up your shoe. You feel like you’re choking for air, and you just can’t do it.

The medication just wasn’t doing the job, so my doctor referred me to see Professor Karen Redmond. She started doing tests and said I was eligible for Zephyr Valve treatment. I said let’s go for it! I trusted her advice completely and I was so fed up with my situation.

Life Before Zephyr^® Valves:

I’m a glass half full kind of person. Always looking on the bright side, ready to enjoy life. I jokingly describe myself to my family as a “recycled teenager”. Young at heart — a teenager in mind, if not in body.

Before I retired, I had a busy job as an accountant. And since then, I’ve always kept busy — I’m never sitting still. I love all things creative — sewing, gardening, a bit of DIY and jigsaw puzzles.

But when I was diagnosed with severe emphysema, a form of COPD, I had to start taking life at a slower pace.

I received my diagnosis in 2012. Before that, they thought it was asthma. But after an eight day stay in hospital with bronchopneumonia, the doctors confirmed it was more serious.

It was a frightening time. I couldn’t get my breath at all. And because I’d not experienced an episode like this before, I didn’t know how to control my breathing and panic set in. Which of course made things worse.

After my diagnosis, life became less spontaneous. I was always having to plan ahead. Wondering how many steps there were. Trying to work out if I could get to where I needed to be without becoming totally out of breath.

I live on my own, and having always been independent, I was determined not to let my condition stop me. I still did all of the housework, I just had to break it down into manageable tasks. I would have become too breathless if I tried to do it all at once.

I’ve looked after my step grandchildren since birth. My illness meant I couldn’t chase after them like I used to. The little ones got to understand this, bless them. They knew nan was having breathing problems. But I was sad I couldn’t play with them in the same way.

I felt like I’d been going downhill since my diagnosis and wanted to get proper treatment. I started seeing a consultant at Derby Royal and they discussed the Zephyr Valve opportunity with me. I was immediately interested.

I was referred to Amy Binion, and after some tests she said I was eligible for the treatment. She explained it would be a minimally invasive procedure. I thought to myself “In for a penny, in for a pound!”, and agreed to go for it.

Life Before Zephyr^® Endobronchial Valves:

It happened automatically. You notice that you can do less and less. I was struggling to breathe, couldn’t do many things, and it made me tired. I could no longer do that job, as it became too physically demanding.

Emphysema creeps in without you realizing. It is really cruel that it is only discovered so late because you raise the alarm too late. I was diagnosed with COPD in 2005.