Some of you may or may not remember that on 10th March this year, my cousin (Nathan Heavens) died at the age of 38 in Bournemouth hospital with Emphysema and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). These are diseases often found in elderly people who have been smoking their entire life, but they rarely take a 38 year old. Nathan had an Alpha -1 deficiency which is a rare genetic condition and resulted in him spending the final several years of his life wired in to an oxygen tank which he required to survive. Some of you may have even seen him riding his mobility scooter through Boscombe with his oxygen strapped to the back - he became somewhat of a local icon, even making Spotted Bournemouth. It is some way off yet but on 8th March 2015 (closest weekend to his anniversary), my sister, cousin and me will be walking 13 miles from Boscombe pier (Nathans favourite spot) to raise money and awareness for an alpha -1 support charity. Because it is rare, it does not get much publicity, but I have seen first hand how much pain and suffering it can cause the victim and also the family that they leave behind. I apologise for the essay but hope that together we can raise money so to help others who are in the same unfortunate position as my big cousin was. justgiving/Nathans-cuzzolas
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:41:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015