Please help to raise funds for pulmonary fibrosis in memory of "Birch" Andrew Thomas Birchall
Andy was born on May 20th 1969. He is much loved and will always be remembered by his friends and family as "Birch" the life and soul of the party. He will be greatly missed.
About Pulmonary Fibrosis
In 2007 Andy noticed that he wasn't as able to get his breath back as easily on playing football. He described it as unable to get a full lung-full of air. Doctors at Royal Preston Hospital discovered he had some scarring of the lungs but couldn't determine why. It wasn't treatable but it didn't seem to be getting any worse so life carried on as normal. It was just something he'd have to live with.
We now know he had the early stages of Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)
Idiopathic simply means the cause is unknown - inflammation or scar tissue builds up in your lungs, making them thick and hard. This build-up of scar tissue is called fibrosis. As your lungs become stiffer and lose their elasticity, they are less able to take oxygen from the air you breathe.
In 2011 Andy went back to the doctors after having regular chest infections to see if anything could be done. The same prognosis was given and he had regular X-rays to monitor for any progression of the scarring. On his most recent X-ray a mass in his lung was spotted. We now know that IPF is associated with an increased risk of developing lung cancer. He sailed through the cancer treatment, amazing his oncologist and indeed went into remission in January 2015. In February Andy started to develop a chest infection which proved too much for his lungs to take on top of his recent cancer treatment. The IPF accelerated resulting in his passing away on March 13th.
This much misunderstood and under-funded disease is one of the British Lung Foundation’s (BLF) key priority areas. Please support the BLF and help them raise money for more research, awareness and support for people living with IPF.
Thank you for taking the time to visit Andy's breath of life page. Please enjoy some of the pictures we've up-loaded - do send in some of your own - and give generously to support the British Lung Foundation's IPF campaign
With grateful thanks...
About Pulmonary Fibrosis
In 2007 Andy noticed that he wasn't as able to get his breath back as easily on playing football. He described it as unable to get a full lung-full of air. Doctors at Royal Preston Hospital discovered he had some scarring of the lungs but couldn't determine why. It wasn't treatable but it didn't seem to be getting any worse so life carried on as normal. It was just something he'd have to live with.
We now know he had the early stages of Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)
Idiopathic simply means the cause is unknown - inflammation or scar tissue builds up in your lungs, making them thick and hard. This build-up of scar tissue is called fibrosis. As your lungs become stiffer and lose their elasticity, they are less able to take oxygen from the air you breathe.
In 2011 Andy went back to the doctors after having regular chest infections to see if anything could be done. The same prognosis was given and he had regular X-rays to monitor for any progression of the scarring. On his most recent X-ray a mass in his lung was spotted. We now know that IPF is associated with an increased risk of developing lung cancer. He sailed through the cancer treatment, amazing his oncologist and indeed went into remission in January 2015. In February Andy started to develop a chest infection which proved too much for his lungs to take on top of his recent cancer treatment. The IPF accelerated resulting in his passing away on March 13th.
This much misunderstood and under-funded disease is one of the British Lung Foundation’s (BLF) key priority areas. Please support the BLF and help them raise money for more research, awareness and support for people living with IPF.
Thank you for taking the time to visit Andy's breath of life page. Please enjoy some of the pictures we've up-loaded - do send in some of your own - and give generously to support the British Lung Foundation's IPF campaign
With grateful thanks...
Contribute
Help grow Andy's Tribute by adding messages or memories you'd like to share.
Thoughts
Extract from a poem by Henry Scott Holland
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other, that we still are.
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
Life means all that it ever meant; it is the same as it ever was.
Thank you ever so much for choosing to support the work of the British Lung Foundation by creating this Breath of Life Fund online tribute in loving memory of Andy.
We hope that you find it a positive experience developing your page and that it becomes a place of comfort and inspiration for you to visit whenever you want or need to. It has been designed to be a truly lasting tribute for perpetuity for future generations to see.
Sent by British Lung Foundation on 20/03/2015