Lung Health News, Fall 2006 / Winter 2007
Linda Regan doesn’t know where she’d be today if it weren’t for the American Lung Association. Three years ago she was anxiously awaiting a lung transplant, feeling like her life was over. Today she has so much to live for and, with improved health, is no longer a candidate for lung transplant surgery, although she still needs oxygen 24 hours a day.
“I know it sounds dramatic, but it’s the truth,” Regan says. “Volunteering for the American Lung Association has given my life purpose. I just love everyone who works there and helping others is powerful medicine.”
The 56-year-old former smoker was diagnosed with end-stage emphysema in 2002. She was told her only chance for survival was a lung transplant. Overwhelmed by her health problems and shocking diagnosis, Regan sought counseling, got herself on the lung transplant list, and waited.
“After about a year went by, I realized I wasn’t helpless, so I went down to the American Lung Association and offered my services,” she says. “I thought maybe I could keep kids from smoking.”
Instead she found her calling working with others like herself who suffer from chronic lung disease. She became involved in the Better Breathers program and learned the power of information and mutual support. Better Breathers offers speakers and other resources to help members better manage their disease while providing a forum for sharing their experiences and learning from each other.
“I don’t know what I would have done without it,” Regan says. “I learned so much and I want others to have this support.”
REGAN REACHES OUT TO OTHERS WITH LUNG DISEASE
She makes about 500 calls a month to Better Breathers participants, encouraging them to attend the next meeting and checking on their well being. She sends cards to those who aren’t feeling well and makes special calls to cheer them up. She shares their joys and their struggles, and passes on helpful tips whenever she can.
“I know how it feels when you only have one good day a week,” Regan says. “I know how it feels when you can’t breathe. I want to make their day better. I can help by encouraging them to go to Better Breathers.”
Regan, who lives in Sebastopol, attends many of the 13 Better Breathers meetings held in her area each month, often speaking to groups about the power of volunteerism and getting involved. She has become an influential voice for the American Lung Association and an adept spokesperson on living with lung disease and the dangers of tobacco.
She volunteers at the American Lung Association in Santa Rosa two to three days a week and sometimes makes calls from home. She works on a variety of projects at the office, helping wherever she can. Regan does everything from stuffing envelopes to tracking down information to calling elected officials.
“Everything I do there is one less thing they need to do and they can concentrate on important stuff,” she says humbly. “I just love going there. I know if I hadn’t come to the American Lung Association, my health would not have improved the way it has, so I’m going to keep encouraging others to get out there and get involved.”
