Issue 4 Page 7

“North” “Feel Free to Breathe” Vs “South” Pay as you Wish to Breathe”.

One of the good/bad sides, to patients having friends all over the State with similar health problems, is the comfort and peace of mind, they normally gain simply by talking things over with each other. Now this is not the case as patients living in the South are on a User Pays System with their Oxygen. Their friends up North are still on the old system, (which could come in handy, if you are lucky enough to be able to go on holidays, or perhaps even to the mainland for an operation and stay). See and feel this from their point of view – They feel cheated. When you think of the motto: “IF YOU CAN’T BREATHE NOTHING ELSE MATTERS” This adds insult to injury!

On Saturday 1st December 2001 at the Information exhange, we met Professor Haydn Walters, who gave some answers to the burning Oxygen Topic. Professor Walters will come along to a STARS Meeting next year.

[Editor's note - refer to article by Dr Alfie re home O2 on page 2]

Lungs in Poor Shape meet on the second Thursday of each month at 1.30pm and rotate their venue between Somerset and Ulverstone. The location is advertised in the Advocate under News of the North West.

Secretary - Steve Whitton 6425 5836
Regional Co-ordinator - Wendy Chatwin 6429 8425
L.I.P.S. happenings:

• Some changes have occurred, we now have a Minute Secretary Mrs Virginia Cooper, and a Membership Secretary Mrs Gail McGurk these two ladies have lightened Steve's workload a lot, we also have a new Treasurer Mrs Anne Tammens.
• L.I.P.S. membership is 60, with a Friends of Life count of 33.
• It has concerned me for some time that the Australian Lung Foundation does not get the amount of publicity that other Foundations do, can anyone help rectify this problem?
• After low attendance at L.I.P.S. Devonport meetings we will not hold meetings at Devonport in future.

Issue 4 Page 7