COPD won’t stop me singing at Eurovision
Margaret Nixon sang in a BLF choir – and would love to perform at Eurovision.
Doing everyday things can be really difficult with COPD - just getting out and about can leave me feeling very tired and breathless - so I never thought I’d sing in front of a large audience.
Recently, Nessie from the BLF put together a choir for people with lung conditions, and after twelve weeks of practise we put on a couple of performances in front of hundreds of people as part of Derry’s UK City of Culture celebrations. It was a fantastic experience - we all helped each other!
I’m a member of the BLF’s Breathe Easy support group in Derry, so know how important meeting other people living with COPD can be. We had lots of fun. That’s not to say we didn’t take it seriously though.
We had a respiratory nurse on hand and sang some very hard songs, so we were getting lots of exercise that we wouldn’t be doing otherwise. It helped my breathing and it made me feel a lot better. I’ve been on long-term oxygen therapy for my COPD for about four years now and for six months afterwards I didn’t need any additional treatment which was just brilliant.
My top tips for singing with a lung condition
- Listen to the experts and do what they tell you
- Keep going and don’t give up
- Enjoy it – that’s the most important thing
The performances went down a storm and everybody said they really enjoyed watching and listening to us. I watch Eurovision Song Contest every year (I really liked last year’s winner) so who knows - this time next year it could be us performing in front of the world. Watch this space!
Exercise, including singing, can help to relieve breathlessness and other symptoms of long term lung conditions. Find out more about community exercise for better lung health.
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