As Tesco launches a new service to help people with a serious lung disease, three York patients explain why raising awareness of their condition is so important.

BREATHING is a function that most of us take for granted.

We don't have to think about it, we do it without realising and if it is restricted with a cough or a cold, it is often remedied with medicine.

For people who have a lung disease, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), breathing can become an uncomfortable battle, requiring oxygen or hospital treatment.

Kathleen Parkinson, Alan Clark and Dave Hardy all live with COPD.

Kathleen's condition is the most severe, while Alan and Dave fear that in time their health will deteriorate to the same extent.

She has piped oxygen for 15 hours a day, and uses a nebuliser four times daily.

"The oxygen really helps and I can use it all day if I need to," she said. "COPD is not painful for me, only when I get a chest infection and it hurts to cough. It can be very tiring though, in fact exhausting."

Kathleen, 74, of Carr Lane, cannot walk very far without becoming tired, and uses aids to move about her home.

"It restricts you greatly, but I don't really get frustrated anymore, you,ve got to have a positive attitude.

"A lot of it is trying to come to terms with it and realising you can't do things you used to do before. I used to spend a lot of time in the garden but I can't do that anymore."

COPD is an umbrella term for a number of conditions, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

It leads to damaged airways in the lungs, causing them to become narrower and making it harder for air to get in and out of the lungs.

The most common cause is cigarette smoking, although occupational and inherited problems can also lead to the disease.

More people suffer from COPD in the north of England than anywhere else in the UK.

Alan, 59, of Strensall, who is a member of support group Breathe Easy York, said COPD was an extremely debilitating condition.

"It's like trying to breathe with a bag over your head. You try to stay positive about it but you know you're not going to get better," he said.

"It is scary; when you wake up and you can't breathe it's frightening.

"It can be very hard too, when you watch your grandchildren running about and you can't play with them."

To help COPD patients, Tesco has launched a new support service in several of its northern stores.

The company is running a trial programme in the Clifton Moor supermarket, to give customers the chance to have an on-the-spot health check while doing their weekly shop.

Pharmacists will also offer advice on their inhaler technique and frequency of use.

Carol Clarkin, Tesco pharmacy services manager, said: "People live with COPD as a part of their daily lives and may see their pharmacist far more often than their GP.

"This new Tesco provision adds to the healthcare for COPD by offering people expert advice in the convenience of their local supermarket at a time suitable for them."

Meanwhile, Kath, Alan and Dave are appealing for help to raise funds.

Members of Breathe Easy York and their friends and families have fundraised for years to buy over £40,000 of medical equipment for York Hospital and doctors, surgeries in and around York.

If you can help with fundraising activities, would like to make a donation or become a member of the group yourself, phone Alan on 01904 490687 or Dave on 01904 760407.

COPD fact file

What is COPD?

A progressive and incurable disease, which leads to damaged airways in the lungs, causing them to narrow

Symptoms

Coughing, phlegm and shortness of breath. Many people suffer flare ups once or twice a year, with a rapid worsening of symptoms leaving them gasping for breath

Diagnosis

Through a breathing test at your GP's surgery called a spirometer, which indicates whether your airways have narrowed. Some people may need more detailed tests and a referral to hospital

Treatment

There is no cure, but much can be done to relieve symptoms.

Many people find stopping smoking slows down progression and helps to improve the cough and phlegm. Medicines such as inhalers make the airways wider, and nebulisers can give a bigger dose of medicines.

If you worsen, you may be given a short course of steroids

Updated: 10:29 Friday, October 21, 2005