Dedicated Volunteer Says Helping Others is ‘Powerful Medicine’

"Making a Difference", Breathe Easy news magazine, Fall 2006/Winter 2007

Linda Regan doesn’t know where she’d be today if it weren’t for the American Lung Association. Three years ago she was anxiously awaiting a lung transplant, feeling like her life was over. Today she has so much to live for and, with improved health, is no longer a candidate for lung transplant surgery, although she still needs oxygen 24 hours a day.

“I know it sounds dramatic, but it’s the truth,” Regan says. “Volunteering for the American Lung Association has given my life purpose. I just love everyone who works there and helping others is powerful medicine.”

The 56-year-old former smoker was diagnosed with end-stage emphysema in 2002. She was told her only chance for survival was a lung transplant. Overwhelmed by her health problems and shocking diagnosis, Regan sought counseling, got herself on the lung transplant list, and waited.

“After about a year went by, I realized I wasn’t helpless, so I went down to the American Lung Association and offered my services,” she says. “I thought maybe I could keep kids from smoking.”

Instead she found her calling working with others like herself who suffer from chronic lung disease. She became involved in the Better Breathers program and learned the power of information and mutual support. Better Breathers offers speakers and other resources to help members better manage their disease while providing a forum for sharing their experiences and learning from each other.

“I don’t know what I would have done without it,” Regan says. “I learned so much and I want others to have this support.”