Protect Children from Poverty Day in Seven Sisters

Today we had an information stand and toy sale in the Nant y Cafn Social Club in Seven Sisters. After a very wet and windy start it turned out a lovely day. There were lots of outside attractions for children such as a climbing wall, bungee bouncing, a huge bouncy castle and simulated surfing - we did see a few dads playing on these as well ! Indoors there were cake sales, jewelry, us and lots of other stands. We raised £30 for Breathe Easy Neath Valley and gave out lots of information about living with lung conditions. And, I think we have recruited two new members for Breathe Easy. So, all in all a good day and an afternoon well spent.

Six years old today.

Breathe Easy Neath Valley was six years old today so we celebrated in style with yummy cake which was enjoyed by everyone. Those of us using oxygen appreciated that the candles were knitted and the flames were glittery paper - so no danger of a conflagration with all the extra oxygen in the room.




Claire Hurlin and her team came over from Carmarthen to show us the Tele Health equipment. This is being used in a trial in and around Carmarthen and helps to keep regular contact between patient and health professional and enables regular monitoring of the condition. This has prevented unnecessary hospital admissions and reassures patients. It's easy to use and puts you in touch with a specialist doctor/nurse on a regular daily basis, which would be impossible with home visits. This looks like a good way forward.


We had a long chat with Andy Phillips and Craig from ABMu about patient records. There has been concern that when we are admitted to hospital, we often arrive at A and E and don't always get the right treatment straight away, because there is no record of our past history of lung attacks (exacerbations) and rate of infection recurrence. There were other issues we discussed as well such as people who are CO² retentive not being given too much oxygen by ambulance crews and co-morbidities. It's no use treating one condition and making another worse. It is being suggested that we take an A4 sheet of paper, with all our details, along with our medication if, or when, we are admitted to hospital. This sounds like a good idea because, at the moment, NHS computers, in different parts of the service, don't speak to each other - we have been assured that this is being worked on.


All these visitors to the group today proved to be good recruiting ground for the abseil at Easter - three signed up today and many application forms taken home to be completed and returned later.

Spread the word

We bought the Dowlais Valley Surgery in Seven Sisters a British Lung Foundation leaflet board. Now all the visitors to the surgery  have a good choice of information always on clear display. 
Patients can access information on all aspects of lung disease. Not just the various lung diseases, but healthy diet, the benefits of exercise and keeping active, how to deal with anxiety and depression and, very important, how to find and join a great Breathe Easy group like ours.
 This is good as all information about lung conditions helps us to understand more and leads to better outcomes.
Check out the British Lung Foundation and see their informative website.

Abseil at Dinas Rock 2012

I have spent the weekend printing posters and application forms and sending out email messages that our annual abseil fundraiser is happening again on Sunday 8th April - Easter Sunday.

These are three little stars from last year - I know one of them will be back again this year.


All money raised from this event goes to help people in Wales who are living with lung conditions, either by buying equipment for the local COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) team or we give it to British Lung Foundation Wales.
This is our sixth year. In the last five years we have raised £27,500 - how much can we add to that this year ?
If you are reading this please look at our Justgiving page - see button on the right or contact Breathe Easy Neath Valley for an application form if you want to take part

Visit to the Olympic Stadium - Your Personal Best Campaign

What a lovely experience we had yesterday. After taking part in the filming before Christmas, we were invited to be at the launch of the Glaxo Smith Kline initiative to encourage people with chronic conditions, and the over 55's to be more active to increase their quality of life. www.yourpersonalbestcampaign.co.uk  Just click on the "Your Stories" button to see people's experiences with different conditions.


This is supported by the British Lung Foundation, which is how I became involved. Look at "Achieve your Best" on the BLF website.  www.lunguk.org

Our hotel room looked out over the new Olympic Stadium and the Anish Kapur sculpture and the presentation took place in the John Lewis Stadium Suite where we were fed lovely light pastries and other yummy things.


We met Arlene Phillips and Len Goodman who are supporting the initiative. they were good fun, as you can see in one of the pictures.
We are really pleased and proud to have taken part in this Personal Best campaign and hope it encourages others to achieve more and get more out of life.

for more pictures go to Flickr on the BLF website http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishlungfoundation/sets/72157629055248375/

The Grand Canyon

Polly Davies took us on a trip through the Grand Canyon, lots of lovely slides and loads of interesting information. It really is a beautiful and majestic formation, quite breath taking.
She also told us an interesting tale about the Mandan Indians, many of who are pale skinned, blond haired and blue eyed, and their Welsh origins. I couldn't help but look that up on Google which found an interesting tale. Use the link below to see for yourself.
http://www.walesdirectory.co.uk/Myths_and_Legends/Prince_Madoc.htm  

Flying with oxygen

I don't usually put personal stuff on this blog, it's normally just Breathe Easy news, but I thought this experience to be interesting and useful knowledge to pass on. We have just come back from a week's cruise round the Canaries and to Agadir, flying with Thomson Airways to Tenerife from Cardiff airport. First of all Airport Assistance at both airports was terrific. We pre-booked it when we booked the holiday and they came out to meet the bus as we arrived and took me right to my plane seat. It wasn't quite so smooth in Tenerife but it worked OK.
I need oxygen during the flight and this was provided free of charge by Thomson Airways. I had to pre-book that when we booked the holiday. This was just a phone call, then I had to get my GP to sign a letter to say that I was fit to fly and needed oxygen during the flight. That had to be done no more than four weeks prior to the flight. I have my own portable concentrator for use while I am abroad but found the airline service a real help as the flight is four hours which means my batteries are running very low, if not actually run out, if used from home to cruise ship. The cabin crew on the plane were really helpful and caring - they kept checking that I was OK. With this support I was able to enjoy a week in the sun in January and here I am in Agadir, with my Airsep Freestyle. 
Have O² will travel !!