This is our story, we met and were married in 1957. We have been blessed with four children and now have nine grandchildren, who are all grown. The youngest is 15 and 6ft tall already. Two of our grandchildren are married, but no great grandbabies yet. We have three of our children near us and one in Texas, four grandchildren in Texas and one in Arkansas. We miss the ones that are so far away.

Wayne has had asthma since he was a small child. We both smoked since we were teenagers. I quit when I was about 25, but couldn’t get Wayne to quit with me. Who knew back then what smoking could do to us. After an asthma attack and a trip to the hospital at about the age of 39, he was sent to a specialist and was diagnosed with slight emphysema at that time. But we never were concerned about it as his asthma was a priority. He was told to quit smoking then, but of course didn’t.

He worked in a factory back then and then ran a filling station for a number of years. When the state took the property for the freeway, we bought a tavern and also served food. I am sure that the second hand smoke, and smoking didn’t help one bit. We were there for about 10 years. At that time I opened a beauty salon and we sold the tavern.

He then went to work for a farmers cooperative in their filling station, but got transferred into their fertilizer department. Still smoking and that combination didn’t help. I could tell his breathing was getting worse. I tried to persuade him to quit smoking, but with no success. He would not smoke around me, but I could smell them whenever he came into the house. I wasn’t letting anyone smoke in our house back then.

Finally in 2000 he ended up in the hospital and was diagnosed with COPD. He had to retire at that time, as they had no job he could do. He had also finally quit smoking a couple of years before this. He was put on prednisone at that time and was on it for almost two years. He gained about 40-50 pounds and really couldn’t do much.

He was sent to rehab, which really helped and he is still continuing to go there. He also was referred to a pulmologist in Milwaukee. He was told to quit the prednisone, which took a year to get off. He did find that it works much fast when he needs it, then when he was on it all the time. We both then went on a diet. He lost almost 40 lbs. and was doing so well for a few years.

This January 2005, he ended up in the hospital with bronchitis. He was doing well and ready to come home after three days and then he started retaining C20 and was unresponsive for almost seven hours. They put him on a Bi-Pap and that saved him from being put on a vent. It was very scarey. Don’t know why that happened, but we think they raised his 02 too much.

He has been doing pretty well since that time, but has trouble walking and getting sob. So we found a scooter for him and he is scooting all over. Sure saves on gas.

He did learn a big lesson though and that is to get to the doctor immediately if he is not feeling well.

I am his care giver, but he can pretty much take care of himself. We moved to an apartment so we don’t have any yard work to do and I can take care of the apartment. I am in good health, except for my back and legs. I am going to therapy for that now and hoping I can start walking again. I am hoping we can do some traveling again next summer if we can keep Wayne feeling well all winter and the gas prices come down.

We are busy with our computers, I do crochet and am an avid reader. We both like playing games on Pogo. We are also busy starting a support COPD group in our area.

Bev and Wayne