Ex-Smoker Malcolm First to Volunteer for the Research

RETIRED mental health nurse and aircraft firefighter Malcolm Benny is the first patient to volunteer to take part in the new drug trial.

Mr Benny, aged 66, of Stoke Hill, Coventry, had to retire when he was diagnosed with COPD five years ago.

He said: “I get breathless very easily. Climbing slopes or hills is very difficult and walking any distance is hard.

“My father died as a result of emphysema, so to a degree, it must be hereditary. When I was a child I nearly died from pneumonia so that must have caused some lung damage.

“Working as an aircraft firefighter also probably contributed.

“I had my first cigarette when I was nine and smoked for 50 years on and off.

“Our generation was encouraged to smoke – there were ashtrays in the cinemas and on the buses.

“Knowing the effects of the condition, I am happy to take part in the research if it develops better treatment.”

Mr Benny lives with his wife Jill and has two daughters, Julie and Sarah.

He already helps out at University Hospital as an “expert patient”, supporting other patients.

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