Novelist shares her story

By Sarah Schwager
A SPRINGVALE woman is offering her story of survival as a spokesperson for World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Day, held yesterday, to help others suffering from the illness.
Cheryl Wright was diagnosed with bronchiectasis, a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) nine years ago.
COPD is a longterm disease of the lungs which causes shortness of breath and constant coughing up of phlegm, and incorporates emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
“It really gets to you. I have actually broken ribs from coughing before, three years ago,” Ms Wright said.
“The symptoms don’t normally start to present themselves until you get older.”
Recent research shows one in six Australians aged 45 and over has a form of COPD.
World COPD Day, run by the Australian Lung Foundation, aims to increase awareness of the incurable illness, to help early diagnosis, while showing there are things that can be done to help people with the disease lead a normal life.
Ms Wright, 49, said support groups and rehabilitation had helped her get through the worst of the disease.
“Three years ago I had five bouts of pneumonia in six months and had absolutely no quality of life,” she said.
She said after coming out of hospital she decided to make some lifestyle changes.
“To start with I was so terrified to go out anywhere,” she said.
“But you have to do what you have to do and work around that.
“The Australian Lung Foundation is trying to get across that with some modifications to your life you can still live a really full life.”
Ms Wright started to write as a type of therapy, at first for ten minutes a day, then gradually built up to a few hours as she started to get more energy.
“I’m only 49 now. I had no intentions of dying at 46. It was not an option. I wanted to see my grandchildren grow up.”
She has now written a number of short stories, three nonfiction books and a romantic suspense novel, winning her a number of awards.
“It always amazes me that someone thinks my writing is so good they give me prizes for it.”
Ms Wright also teaches writing online, and sometimes works at writers’ conferences and workshops.
Because of a major immune deficiency, a common side effect of bronchiectasis, she sometimes has to keep away from people to stop herself from getting sick.
She said she could not visit her stepfather in hospital because he had pneumonia.
“You learn to make compromises if you want to survive and have a good quality of life.”
She said the illness affected her whole family, not just her.