Hartford,
Wisconsin
As a respiratory therapist and State Captain for Wisconsin, I hope to accomplish the development of relationships with my elected officials with the goal of informing representatives about COPD, the people, their needs, and about important issues related to COPD that are present in our states locally and that are important to the Foundation (e.g. medication, pulmonary rehab, insurance, oxygen access, research, joining the COPD Caucus etc.). Elected officials both locally and federally may not know what COPD is, how it impacts people and families or what the major issues are and I would like to be that voice for all of patients I advocate for and all of the people living with COPD that I may never encounter.
As a COPD advocate, I have participated in emergency department COPD research and participated in health fairs and community events to promote COPD awareness. Currently, I advocate for COPD patients, veterans and families in my day to day work for greater than 4 counties. And over the past year, I have developed and implemented a successful COPD program where my goal is to help patients improve their health related quality of life while also helping them lower admission rates. My goal is to ensure my patients have all the resources they require to improve their quality of life. I find it important to consider the whole patient and not just the disease.
As a State Captain, I am interested in connecting others in the COPD community to the resources available so they can live healthier, fuller lives and I would like to work with local, state and national officials to improve COPD policies.
My proudest COPD moments have been coming in the office after the weekend to hear the excitement in a patient's voice because I helped organize and find them affordable medications. Or when you are completing a follow up and you realize your patient took the information you provided and turned their situation around for the better. It is about people and my purpose is helping as many people in this lifetime breathe easier.
My inspirational quote to share is, "Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort. - John Ruskin, Nineteenth Century British author.”