Cath’s Story
“I honestly thought I was going to die walking to the doctor’s – I’ll never smoke again.”
When Cath from Seaton Delaval in Northumberland woke in the middle of the night gasping for breath, she thought it was “just a cold.” Within days, she was struggling to walk to the toilet without feeling like she was suffocating.
“I took myself off to bed and could hardly breathe,” she remembers. “I was terrified. I thought, if I fall asleep, I might not wake up.” Cath had stopped drinking alcohol over 11 years ago. “If I could do that, I knew I could stop smoking,” she says proudly. “Once I put my mind to something, I’ll do it.”
When a nurse phoned about something unrelated, Cath could barely speak. The nurse insisted she see her GP straight away. “It’s only about 500 steps from my house to the surgery,” says Cath. “But I had to stop three times just to catch my breath. I honestly thought I was going to die walking to the doctor’s.”
At the surgery, the GP immediately called an ambulance. Cath was admitted to hospital and spent several nights on oxygen. “They couldn’t get my oxygen levels up. That’s when they started talking about COPD,” she says. After more tests, she was diagnosed with early-stage COPD caused by smoking.
That was when Cath’s life changed direction. She was transferred as a Hospital at Home patient on 29 August 2024 – her quit date – so she could continue her care safely at home. “The day I went into hospital was the day I had my last cigarette. I thought – I’m not putting myself through that again.”
Cath had smoked since leaving school at 15 – almost 40 cigarettes a day for more than 35 years. “I’d sit at the back door for hours, just smoking one after another. I really didn’t see how much of my life it was wasting. I must have been out there ten hours a day,” she says.
Once at home, the respiratory nurses provided Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), and the Northumbria Tobacco Dependency Treatment Service (TDTS) – with advisor Chantelle – supported her with a vape and referral to the local authority. From each contact, she was asked about her smoking, ensuring she had consistent support.
The TDTS team work closely with the respiratory team to support patients cared for at home through what’s known as a virtual ward, allowing patients to stay in their own homes while being monitored by a team of specialists. This approach ensures all patients are supported with tobacco dependency, whether at home or in a virtual ward.
“The vape has been brilliant. At first, I didn’t even realise I’d bought nicotine-free liquids, but it turns out I didn’t even need it. I went from 40 cigarettes a day to no nicotine at all,” says Cath. She had tried to quit before, but stress and socialising always drew her back. “This time was different. That scare was enough. I haven’t touched a cigarette since.”
Cath has now been smokefree for well over a year. Her breathing has improved massively: “I can head for a bus now without feeling like I’m going to collapse. I still get a bit out of breath – but nothing like before. When I think back, I can’t believe how bad I was.”
Cath now spends her time doing crafts again – something she’d stopped for years. “I’m always busy now. I don’t even think about smoking. And when someone gets on the bus after having a cigarette, I can smell it straight away – I don’t like it anymore.”
Her message to anyone thinking about stopping: “Look into what COPD really is. People think it’s just being a bit out of breath – it’s not. You literally can’t breathe. It’s life-threatening. Don’t wait until you’re in hospital like I was. Get help now. If I can stop after 35 years, anyone can.”
