Island Life June July 2015 June July 2015 | Page 14

A

INTERVIEW

labour of love

She might be long-retired as a hospital physiotherapist, but as she heads towards a landmark
birthday this year, Elisabeth (Liz) Bell shows no sign of slowing down. A driving force behind
the Isle of Wight Asthma Society and Swim Group at the Medina Pool, she tells us about the
key role the Isle of Wight has played in asthma research worldwide.

I

t’s little wonder that Liz remains so
passionate about finding causes and
cures for asthma. Not only did she
witness its distressing and debilitating
effects in patients on the Wards but also
in her physiotherapy clinic, held after she
had finished on the Wards.
Liz, who also worked on Orthopaedics,
Medical, Children and ICU wards during
her long career, says: “The worst thing
about an asthma attack is the terror it
produces.
“Unless you’re educated you simply
won’t know what to do. What most
people don’t realise is that it’s actually an
inability to breathe out, rather than to
breathe in”.
Many sufferers live with the chronic
condition – and a shocking three people
in the UK die every day as a result of an
asthma attack.
For many sufferers on the Island, the
Swim Group has become a lifeline since
it launched in 1983 under a nationwide
programme by the then National Asthma
Campaign. Over 100 groups were set up
all over the country – but 34 years on, only
two of them are still thriving, the one here
on the Island and another in Leeds.
Liz is convinced of the reason for this:
“Our two groups were the only ones that
refused to make sessions competitive,
because for asthma sufferers, that is futile.
“Our focus here was always different
– it was about all the family being
involved, and everyone being taught to

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