Firstly, I would like to thank my oldest and best friend, Don Thompson. He would not realise how influential his musings have been since we started working together in the same company, on the same day, over 30 years ago. Don has been a consistent fount of knowledge, and the worn-out books and suggested reading list he gave me over 20 years ago when he was studying osteopathy, Rolfing, Hellerwork and other body working techniques, prompted me to look outside the conventional sport and fitness box.

I need to acknowledge Heather Matthews, Carol Nicholls, Fiona Lang, Lesley Barber and Maria Hunter from the Respiratory Nursing Team at the James Paget University Hospital. Heather, Carol and Fiona have all been instrumental in enabling me to develop my method. They have played vital roles in the development of BEET, the innovative community pulmonary rehabilitation programme. Their drive and determination to meet patients’ needs are why they were recognised as the ARNS, UK Respiratory Nursing Team of the Year in 2016.

Finally, I would probably never have got around to finding a publisher for this book if it had not been for one of my former patients, Morag Minton. Morag had very severe COPD and was told her best opportunity to live a full life was a double lung transplant. She was referred to me having just spent eight weeks in hospital with a very severe chest infection over the Christmas and New Year. When I met her, Morag was very down, as weak as a kitten, and her shoulders were so tight we could hardly prise them from her ears. She spent most of her day hunched up trying to recover from the previous breath she had just taken. She had been a top fitness presenter and loved rock climbing. She took on board the exercises I gave her, and her breathing started improving almost immediately. She did her daily exercises until she could attend the gym, where she ended up not only getting stronger herself, but also talking to novice patients when they looked a little lost.

Morag continually pestered me to write this book. She had done exhaustive research, and nothing had worked for her until she did the exercises that were shown to her. She was insistent that it was important that other people with COPD got the chance to try them.

Amazingly, within seven months Morag was strong enough to have her lung transplant. I had planned for her to work for me after her operation, to train as an exercise specialist. Unfortunately, whilst her lungs transplanted well and initially worked, a complication from the operation meant that she did not survive.

As I complete my final draft, I wish to dedicate this book to the memory of Morag Minton.

 

Illustrations: I took all the photographs myself and the bar charts were devised by me and refined by Hammersmith Books. The following are included with permission from Shutterstock: Figure 1.1 Tewan Banditrukkanka; Figure 1.3 Alila Medical Media. Figure 1.5 Adapted from: Alison McConnell, Respiratory Muscle Training; Theory and Practice, Elsevier, Oxford, 2013. Other illustrations by Tech-Set Ltd, Gateshead.