Working life: Damien Peelo, executive director at COPD Support Ireland

Damien Peelo gives us an insight into his working life.

5.30am

I’m an early riser because I have a rheumatic condition and I like to spend half an hour stretching. I follow this with a Spanish or Irish language tutorial courtesy of a phone app.

The kids go to an all-Irish school so it’s important to keep up. In a former life I travelled through South America so I’m keen to hang onto the Spanish I have.

The kids — Shonagh, 10, and Fionn, 6 — get up around 7am and I drop them to school en route to work.

9am

The COPD Support Ireland office is in Blackrock but there are often pit stops along the way.

For instance last week I dropped into the RTÉ studios to record an advertisement encouraging people to get the flu vaccine — flu is a big issue for people with COPD which is a chronic lung disease.

It includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The radio ad is airing in the run-up to World COPD Day on November 16.

11am

I head to the office for a conference call relating to our first national patient conference ‘Save Your Breath’ taking place on November 15 at the Royal College of Physicians in Dublin.

COPD is estimated to affect 380,000 people in Ireland and the conference is open to anyone with the disease.

2pm

I drive to Mullingar to meet a new COPD support group. They’re coming to the end of a six-month sponsored exercise programme tailored for people with COPD and they are anxious to keep it going. Exercise is so important for people with COPD — it slows down its progression.

4pm

Back in the car, I use my carphone to return calls. A lot of queries relate to people looking for information and support or help applying for a medical card. We have a new advice line — 1800 832 146 — to help out.

I stop off in a Clondalkin hotel where we are hoping to host COPD screening as part of upcoming World COPD Week. We are planning to offer spirometry tests — a lung function test — to minority groups in the area.

5.30pm

I head home and back out for a 5km run.

Damien Peelo, executive director, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) Support Ireland

COPD symptoms include breathlessness, persistent cough, and chest infections, and can be diagnosed by a simple spirometry breathing test. Fordetails see: www.copd.ie