Living with COPD: It often looks to others like nothing's wrong, but when our breathing is bad, we tend to stay at home

"When Joe Claffey was told he had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease he was terrified."

"But he learned to deal with it and, while it's incurable, he says you can live a great life with the many supports on offer."

""My instant reaction was to think, that's it. I'm going to die," says the, now, 70-year-old retired father of three, from Stoneybatter in Dublin."

"That was 2020, when Claffey had been admitted to the Mater hospital suffering from pneumonia."

Joe Claffey was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 2020 after admission to the Mater hospital with pneumonia. He initially panicked and feared imminent death. At age 70 and retired, with three children and living in Stoneybatter, Dublin, he learned to manage COPD through available supports and self-care strategies. He emphasizes that COPD is incurable but can be managed, allowing a good quality of life. Ongoing medical care, rehabilitation, community supports and personal adaptation enabled him to regain confidence and continue living well despite the chronic respiratory condition.

Read at Independent