Mimi Holloway is 60 years old. For 40 years of her life she has been a heavy smoker. “I had quit twice before and stayed off them for five years and went back,” she says.

Several months ago Mimi’s pulmonary problems put her in a scary situation. “I couldn’t breathe. I ended up going to the emergency room, 9-1-1.” Mimi spent six days in the hospital. She soon realized that she faced a serious decision. She had to choose whether she wanted to quit smoking or sacrifice the quality of her life. “I was diagnosed with emphysema, COPD, exacerbated COPD and when I came out and went to see the pulmonary doctor he explained to me that this was something that was going to affect my life.”

She dedicated herself to making a change and enrolled at the pulmonary rehabilitation program at Cape Coral Hospital. She says, “I feel like I have more control over my life. When you can’t breathe and somebody tells you that your body is damaged and with emphysema you really can’t correct the problem, you’ve damaged that particular part of your lungs that won’t come back but you can build yourself up and learn to live with the disease. The rehab program is really something that’s helped me to come around.”

For more information on the pulmonary rehabilitation program you can call 239-574-2323. Conditions like emphysema and chronic bronchitis fall under the umbrella of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or C.O.P.D.