Patients haunted by fears of living with and dying from severe lung disease

Defiant joy

Importantly, even with the burden of life with COPD, many patients found ways to experience what Strang et al. called “a defiant joy.”

“It was remarkable that when the patients were asked about what gave their lives meaning today, many talked about what had given their life meaning in the past, prior to becoming ill. In the light of the things they had lost because of the disease, many felt that their previous sources of joy no longer existed. Despite this, many still hoped to be able to get out into the fresh air, to be able to do errands, or that tomorrow might be better,” the investigators wrote.

Dr. Yohannes, Dr. Garfield, and Dr. Saleh all reported having no relevant conflicts of interest to report.

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