Marietta,
GA
My name is Adrian McDonald, and I became a Georgia Registered Respiratory Therapist in 2010. I recognized early in my career that I had a very strong desire to improve the lives of my patients, and have always operated in a manner above and beyond the standard of care. The frustration I felt during my early years came from seeing a lot of the same patients repeatedly, and feeling like there was more needing to be done to help with no clue how to do so.
It wasn't until I became a Clinical Specialist for the InCourage Vest system in 2016 that opened the doors for helping people stay out of the hospital system through education and awareness of providers and their staff. With each discussion and presentation, I quickly realized the magnitude of just how much work still needs to be done to ensure our patients are diagnosed accurately, earlier, and fully informed while given everything they need to ensure the best quality of life possible.
My life has since become dedicated to making each of those a reality for the millions of respiratory patients that need our help, and have discovered many platforms that I can volunteer my expertise, time, and support for the greater good of pulmonary patients.
While volunteering in a patient-centered forum on a popular social media site, a member that was a current State Captain for the COPD foundation reached out after observing my work silently for some time. She insisted I needed to transition into the role of State Captain, and felt strongly that I had huge potential to do great things for the pulmonary community through the COPD foundation. I was extremely humbled, and took her advice and reached out. The rest is history, and I am so excited for the opportunity to have a platform of this magnitude, and will continue to dedicate my life to this cause. Everyone deserves the right to breathe freely, and I will do everything I can to help!!
As a COPD advocate I have contacted my elected officials, presented at conferences and volunteered on social media sites to support patients.
My proudest COPD moment is providing much needed support and education about COPD to people from the U.K., and Australia; who are suffering with no guidance. This gave them peace of mind, ammunition to take back to their doctors, and a feeling that someone out there cares.
My inspiration to share is “everyone deserves the right to breathe easy. Your life is my why.”