♪♪♪♪♪

Respiratory
Therapist: how's your

breathing today?

THIS YEAR, DON OWENS WAS A
REGULAR AT THE ST LUKE'S

REHABILITATION INSTITUTE
FOR PULMONARY REHAB.

breathing
can be a problem.

there are days i can get
up and go for hours, and

days when i get up and
can't walk 5 feet without

getting out of breath.

HE WAS DIAGNOSED 12
YEARS AGO WITH CHRONIC

OBSTRUCTIVE
PULMONARY DISEASE.

I smoked for about 45
years, i had pneumonia at

an early age.

OWENS SAYS HE'S ALWAYS
LED AN ACTIVE LIFE...

AND AT FIRST AFTER
DIAGNOSIS, HIS COPD DIDN'T

BOTHER HIM.

BUT THE DISEASE
IS PROGRESSIVE.

AND OVER THE LAST 2 YEARS,
HIS NEED FOR OXYGEN HAS

DOUBLED.

I can't go anywhere
without making sure i'm

gonna have enough oxygen
to get through the day.

AND THINGS THAT USED TO
COME EASILY, ARE NOT SO

EASY ANYMORE.

There are times now
when i get out of air just

drying off after a shower.

WHEN HIS DOCTOR SUGGESTED
HE ENTER A PULMONARY REHAB

PROGRAM, OWENS
WAS RESISTANT.

I'm used to
doing things on my own.

it bugs me to have to ask
people to do things for me now.

BUT AS THINGS GOT MORE
DIFFICULT, HE DECIDED TO

GIVE IT A SHOT.

I am active but I've
come to realize that i

need the
structured exercise.

So I came back to Luke's
to get the structure back

in my life.

NOW OWENS IS A
GRADUATE AT ST. LUKE'S.

THE EXERCISE PORTION OF
THE PROGRAM HELPS PATIENTS

WITH ENDURANCE, AND HELPS
THEM MAKE THE BEST USE OF

THEIR OXYGEN.

BUT THIS PROGRAM GOES
WELL BEYOND EXERCISE.

Our goal with pulmonary rehab

is to help our
patients gain a better

understanding of
their pulmonary disease.

We have a variety
of education topics that

cover more than just
pulmonary topics that they

get to learn,

like we go through
anatomy and physiology, we

want to help patients
understand disease

processes OWENS STILL DOES
NOT LIKE ASKING FOR OR

RECEIVING HELP
fortunately my wife has a

good sense of humor about
things like that (laugh).

BUT HE HAS TO ADMIT THAT
PULMONARY REHAB HAS MADE

HIS LIFE BETTER.

I want to
do the best i can.

and sitting around is
not really an option.