Mr. Robert Hurley:

I struggled with it for seven months. It was only when I decided to give up work and accepted my lot that I said to myself, "I think I will get back to where I was". That was a huge step. Again, there is a mental aspect to the class. People have had transplants so one can ask them questions about side effects of the drugs, etc. I did not realise one could not bring oxygen equipment onto a plane. So there are loads of little things that one thinks one should know but one does not.

On the mental side of it, if Senator Black spoke to my wife I am sure she would find that she has taken most of the stress. Stress is a big thing. You have to avoid the stress, be selfish and concentrate on your illness. Those are the lessons that I have learned from my experience. If you are on your own in the house you should log in online and do the class, even though you might not feel like it, because the other people will give you a lift because there are always people worse off than you in any walk of life. I consider myself lucky to have that access. I never get a cold or flu and I am out in the fresh air most of the time. In the class I learn from other people, not from a physician. The class is two hours a week and I would do it five days a week if I could. I cannot stress the importance of the class. It is a big part of my life along with the drugs.