Myself and Andrew are running the Blackpool marathon on Sunday in memory of our in laws. Des our father in law sadly passed away in may 2017 at the age of 58 to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (ipf) this is such a cruel disease that robbed him of living his life to the full. We did run the Blackpool marathon in 2017 for ipf. And raised some funds for them. Also managed to give Des a laugh at our expense.
There is currently no cure for pulmonary fibrosis but treatments and therapies are improving all the time. The average life expectancy of someone with pulmonary fibrosis is three to five years but if it's caught early, treatment can help slow down the progression of the disease.
Gill our mother in law sadly passed away in March this year aged 58 also.
Gill had been diagnosed with (copd) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in her late 30s.
COPD is one of the most common respiratory diseases in the UK. It usually only starts to affect people over the age of 35, although most people are not diagnosed until they are in their 50s.
It is thought there are more than 3 million people living with the disease in the UK, of which only about 900,000 have been diagnosed. This is because many people who develop symptoms of COPD do not get medical help because they often dismiss their symptoms as a ‘smoker’s cough’.
COPD affects more men than women, although rates in women are increasing.
People dont realise what a struggle it is to do every day tasks when you have a long condition.
Both Des and Gill had been looked after by the respiratory team in workington. The care that they have been given over the years has been outstanding. And it feels like the team were part of the family. So it is our mission as a family to continue to support this fantastic unit and raise some funds for workington respiratory team, in memory of Des and Gill.