Jackie Smedley's Story

What were the steps leading up to your diagnosis?

As a youth, I was not informed of the dangers of smoking because "everybody did it." My parents smoked and so did I. Fast forward to 2011, it became more and more difficult to perform simple tasks. I was used to an active lifestyle, but that diminished quickly.

In 2013, I was diagnosed with stage 2 COPD. Since my diagnosis, I have gone down the slope of COPD quickly. I am now on oxygen 24/7. Even the most simple tasks have become a burden.

I firmly believe that this deadly disease – the #3 killer in the US – is significantly underfunded. We're seen as our own worse enemy, but we didn't know until it was too late.

Every aspect of my life revolves around gaining knowledge to improve, not cure, my COPD.

What lifestyle changes have you needed to make?

I have improved my eating habits, cleaning habits and ceased smoking. Every aspect of my life revolves around gaining knowledge to improve, not cure, my COPD. I am on the road to getting to a manageable point with it.

Who has been there for you? How?

Unfortunately, like a tremendous amount of us, I have been on my own. Family and friends tend to have the mindset of "if you can't see it, it just doesn't exist. We are just lazy." Nothing could be further from the truth.

We all would love to live the active, unencumbered life most of us had. I wish for just five minutes a person would place a clothespin on their nose, punch a few holes in a straw, put in into their mouth and try and breathe. Then, they would understand how we feel constantly.