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Faces of Lung Disease

Wayne's Story

This story reinforces the importance of lung health, organ donation and the support needed by transplant recipients and their loved ones.
L’histoire de Phillip : " Ne commencez jamais à fumer. "

Philip's story: "I hope my story will help inspire you to never start smoking or if you already started.. to stop."

I was born in 1955 in China. When I was 19 my sister and I moved to England to study English. This is where I also learned to smoke. All of my friends were smoking and I thought it would make me look more adult and cool…

Doug Cooper - Ottawa, Ontario

I was stunned when my doctor told me I had COPD. I had never heard of this disease before. The first thing I did was get myself informed. I read. I asked many questions. I was lucky enough to find a pulmonary rehab…

Larry Mayville, Aylmer, Quebec

I was diagnosed with COPD at 37. I went to my doctor to get tested because I noticed that I was always out of breath. At first I thought: What am I going to do? How am I going to fight this? So I decided to quit smoking…

Darlene Morgan - Brandon, Manitoba

When I found out I had COPD I thought my life was over. I was wrong. If there’s one message I could put out there it would be – it’s NOT over. In fact, my new life has just begun. Quitting smoking has given me a whole…

Vivianne Toupin - Vancouver, B.C.

Ironically, it was only when I saw my doctor about a heart problem that I discovered I also suffered from chronic lung disease. That was 17 years ago. In truth, for the first nine years following diagnosis I ignored my…

Mary Stewart - Ottawa, Ontario

I was a nurse for 25 years, so I knew about a serious lung condition called Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Many of the patients I cared for had COPD. And so did my mother. But I was playing the game of…

Jeremy's Story - Lung cancer can hit anyone, smoker or not: widow

 Nov. 17, 2010 was Jeremy Chen's 30th birthday, a day that included going out for lunch with co-workers. It was also the day the North Burnaby resident first noticed it—a shortness of breath walking from the restaurant…

Eva's Story

In early 2006, my husband Gord Swan had gone to his doctor about a dry cough that wouldn’t go away. When his doctor sent him for an x-ray, I remember thinking that his doctor was being overly cautious. After all, how…

Val Friesen's story, patient - Winnipeg, Manitoba

As I think back, my first encounter with a breathing problem occurred in 2003 while doing yard work. I had a strange feeling in my chest as I emptied the wheelbarrow full of soil and felt too tired to continue. In 2005…