Bereaved husband sets up COPD support group
By Claire Christensen
BEREAVED husband Paddy Grimes has helped open a new branch of COPD Support Ireland in Tallaght in memory of his late wife, Carmel, who lived with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) for 10 years; Paddy wants COPD sufferers to know that "there is help out there".
Paddy Grimes, from Bohernabreena, was married for 43 years, and his wife Carmel was a smoker for as long as he knew her— he estimates she started around age 14.
Carmel had COPD for 10 years, and Paddy cared for her until her death at age 63 on December 6 of last year.
At her funeral, Paddy set out a donation box for COPD Support Ireland, and raised almost €900 for the group.
Paddy told The Echo: “All the money we raised went to COPD Support Ireland, and they set aside some of that money to start a branch here in Tallaght.
“Our goal for the group is to get the word out that there is support for COPD sufferers – many people don’t know that there is help out there.”
Paddy is still active in the group, which hopes to get government funding in the future, and says his next mission is to have pharmacists hold demon-strations on proper inhaler use.
He said: “During the 10 years I cared for Carmel, I think that she wasn’t using her nebuliser and inhaler correctly.
“I’ve been talking to members of the group and I suspect that a lot of medicine is being wasted; I want to get pharmacists to come to a meeting and show how to use them properly.”
Paddy wants COPD sufferers to know that COPD is not the end of the world, and it can be kept at bay if the sufferer gives up cigarettes and engages in regular exercise.
The Tallaght branch of COPD Support Ireland meets every third Thursday of the month at Tallaght County Library.
