“I was introduced to ProResp when Julia started attending our COPD support group,” Marilyn told us, referring to one of ProResp’s Managers. “She has made such a huge contribution to our group—and I’m not just talking about the snacks,” joked Marilyn.
“I was not on oxygen at the time, because I’d been able to wean myself off it after an extremely bad exacerbation, but in the last couple of years I have gone back on—and I feel so lucky to have found ProResp. I don’t need it for sleeping or when I am sitting. I mostly only need it for exertion.”
Marilyn wants to clear the air around oxygen, and flip what most people think of as a negative into a positive.
“When people see that you are on oxygen, they often assume you are a lot sicker than you actually are,” she said. “In fact, the oxygen is what has given me my life back. It is what lets me do my exercise routine every day, which always puts me in a better mood. When you are limited in what you can do and feeling stuck, it can be hard emotionally. Without oxygen, I would be back to sitting around all day, every day, felling miserable. So yes, I see it as a big positive.”
Marilyn had a lot to say about ProResp, telling us that “the technicians and everyone there are so helpful in helping you learn how to manage the equipment and giving you confidence in that,” she said.
“They are so responsive whenever you have a problem. I know the others always feel very supported in that. We know that if we ever need anything, they will be right there. And I can’t say enough about Julia’s contribution to our group. The presentations she gives about COPD and about oxygen are especially helpful for the newer members of the group, who may not be at the stage where they require oxygen but have a lot of questions and misconceptions about it.”
Thanks for being such a leader within your community, Marilyn, and helping all those with COPD live full and active lives!