“I didn’t know what my world was going to be like.”

Monica has lived with asthma for 50 years, and in 2020, she faced an incredibly difficult battle. After contracting Covid-19, Monica was left in a coma for two months – and awoke unsure of her future.

“My lungs were almost completely destroyed" says Monica. "When I woke up from the coma I was on a ventilator and a respirator – and I was paralysed from the waist down.”

Following this deeply traumatic experience, Monica had to start rebuilding her life. “I lost my confidence”, Monica explains. 

“I didn’t know what my life was going to be like. I was very unsure of my breathing, which was very shallow, and I was using a respirator 24/7.”

Community changes everything 

Adapting to and living with a lung condition can be difficult and isolating – which is why finding community can be life-changing. 

Monica found that all-important sense of community through an Online Singing for Lung Health group. "Attending the group and learning and repeating the breathing techniques, I saw myself getting stronger. This really improved my confidence,” says Monica.

Each Singing for Lung Health group uses singing as part of a therapeutic approach – helping people with lung conditions improve their breathing, physical health, and emotional wellbeing.

“Friendship was really hard to find because of my social isolation. The group has given me friendship and support, which have been so important for my mental health”, Monica explains. “And still is, actually, because I'm still shielding”.

You’re making a huge difference in people’s lives

Across the UK, you’ll find Singing for Lung Health groups, communities that help people just like Monica rediscover themselves. 

Each group is in partnership with Asthma + Lung UK and made possible by supporters like you.