Replies

Hey, quit with the high school “this could happen to you” crap. You are posting to computer literate adults. Did you ever hear of “know your audience”? If you want to sell you can’t insult your targets intelligence. I know, I know, it makes YOU feel good, you really FEEL you have a live one, “this will make’m sit-up, bla, bla….”. Well, it doesn’t.

It’s not that I agree with you, I don’t. It’s just that you are so bad, it is depressing, pathetic, weak and stale.

Lastly, emphysema isn’t a disease, it is a condition and depending on how accurate you want to measure, every adult after the mid-twenties has it. Think of it as skin wrinkles of the lungs.

Twanna Holmes

Hi, my name is Twanna Holmes. I am 47 years young, and I have emphysema. I have a wonderful husband and two beautiful children. When I was 16 years old, I started smoking. I was soooo cool! Well hindsight is 20/20 looking back I see how stupid I was. I don't worry so much about what I have done to myself, but what I have done to my family. Emphysema is not an individual thing; it affects your entire family. Instead of telling the symptoms of emphysema, I would like to share with you some of the things emphysema has forced me to change. The first thing that I realized I could no longer do was go on our annual ski trip up to Monarch, Colo. I could not tolerate the altitude change. My kids really missed this, this happened when I was 41 years old. We live in Texas, we have five lakes within 15 minutes of our home, every summer we would live on the lake with our boat skiing and having a great time. Guess what? About three years ago it got to where I could not tolerate the heat and humidity, so I can't go anymore. Going to my daughters sports events, was one of the loves of my life. This past year I did manage to go to her events, it was not an easy task. My hubby would drop me off at the gate or the door to the gym, then he would park the car. I couldn't get a good seat, for climbing stairs is very hard, so we would sit on the bottom bleacher and have to put up with everyone walking in front of us. Bummer!! At her softball games I would watch from the car, us lungers can\'t be around the dirt and dust without getting really short of breath. But she knew I was there, I darn near wore my horn out on my car. My daughter graduated High School in May. They always have graduation at our football stadium after they graduate all the parents go down on the field to congratulate the class. It took me a very long time to make my way to the field, I would walk a little, then have to rest, but it was one of those things I had decided I was going to do or die trying. I finally made it, when I found my daughter she was crying, she thought I wasn't able to make it; we both hugged and cried for the longest time, it was a milestone. The most recent change we have to make is leaving our home of 24 years. It's a beautiful place on the side of a hill in the beautiful hill country. Our home has 19 stairs to get from my car to the front door, I am a prisoner in my own home. Stairs are one of the worse things for lungers. These are just a few of the things that I at 16 didn't think about or worry about. I was invincible and I could defy the warnings of cigarette smoking. Boy was I wrong!! It happened to me and it can happen to you. Be smart you, hold your future in your hands. If you have any questions, comments or would like to know more about changes in my life feel free to contact me at aholmes@tstar.net