How NI man’s long battle with COPD pushed his son to check his own lung health

When Darren Dougherty lost his father last year after a 23-year battle with COPD, the devastating experience of seeing his dad’s struggle with the condition motivated him to get checked too.

Now Darren is using his heartbreaking loss on this World COPD Day to raise awareness of the incurable lung condition which affects over 43,000 people in Northern Ireland.

His father, James, from Derry, was 76 when he passed away on 22nd November 2023, and Darren says that looking back, he started struggling with everyday tasks even before being diagnosed, which led him to seek help.

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“He was quite old-school and stubborn about seeing the GP or going to the hospital. Later in life particularly in the last five years it became clear how much COPD was affecting him. By then, even walking from the living room to the kitchen in a standard-sized house was too much for him,” Darren recalled.

“For our family, navigating his diagnosis and illness was confusing. I was quite young at the time and didn’t fully understand COPD. This was before the age of social media when information wasn’t easy to find. As the years passed and his condition worsened, I gained a better understanding of the lung condition and how it progressed through different stages.

“Two of my sisters, who have asthma, were especially affected by seeing our dad struggling to breathe. Seeing him decline motivated me to get checked for both asthma and COPD myself.

“My dad was fortunate to have great care throughout his illness as I know that not everyone has the same support available in their local area. His GP monitored him closely with regular check-ups and even providing home visits when necessary. The support he received made a real difference in his quality of life.

“I now want to help raise awareness for other families going through this. Simple things, like understanding the risks of cold weather, could make such a difference. If you find yourself struggling to catch your breath, don’t ignore it, get checked by your GP.

“Early diagnosis and treatment can make all the difference,” added Darren, who also organised a fundraising event in memory of his dad and raised almost £1200 for Asthma + Lung UK Northern Ireland.

Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma + Lung UK Northern Ireland, said: “Unfortunately, Darren is not alone. Every year, around 2000 people in Northern Ireland die from a lung condition. Winter is the deadliest time for people with lung conditions, with COPD admissions totalling almost 1,300 last winter alone.

“It’s fantastic to hear Darren’s father received the support he rightly deserved, but unfortunately this is not consistent. Our most recent survey revealed only 9% of people received basic care. This is not acceptable.

“To stay well during winter, we would strongly encourage people with COPD to get the annual winter vaccines, take their routine medicines as prescribed and make sure that their self-management plans are up to date with their GP and to make an urgent appointment if symptoms get worse.

“We would also stress the importance of keeping warm and eating well. Ideally, you would want to be heating your home to 18 degrees, keep warm by wearing layers of clothes, have lots of hot drinks and eat at least one hot meal a day if you can. Also, you can get a free, personalised guide to protect your lungs here: https://asthmaandlung.org.uk/notjustaseason.”

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