When Joe Claffey was told he had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease he was terrified. But he learned to deal with it and, while it’s incurable, he says you can live a great life with the many supports on offer. He shares his story to mark World COPD day, which falls today
Joe Claffey
When Joe Claffey was first diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), he panicked. “My instant reaction was to think, that’s it. I’m going to die,” says the, now, 70-year-old retired father of three, from Stoneybatter in Dublin.
That was 2020, when Claffey had been admitted to the Mater hospital suffering from pneumonia.