Vicki Cameron

Hi, my name is Vicki Cameron and I would like to introduce myself. I live in West Topsham Vermont with my husband Bruce. In my 20’s I was told I had COPD and my diagnosis never went any further. Eventually I had adult onset asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis and had been really sick since late 1998; I was going downhill fast. Just after the new year I went to the doctor at my rural clinic one more time to see about some more antibiotics. A new physician was rotating through the clinic from a nearby hospital and he wanted to test me for Alpha-1. He didn’t know much about it, but he had seen it once before in another doctor’s patient and it was enough to trigger him to check it out. As a result, in 1999, at the age of 47, I was finally diagnosed.

As far as my lungs go, if it’s a bad job, I’ve had it. For years I worked in the textile industry. In my last job with Dartmouth College, I worked in the residential halls and would get sick at the end of every term. Now, I am a volunteer AlphaNet Coordinator with AlphaNet and my health has actually improved. I have started three support groups throughout New England and work on lots of Alpha-1 education programs. My husband and I have three children each and 15 grandchildren between us that are with us a lot of our free time. I love keeping busy and do all sorts of crafts, but I have become addicted to quilting. Taking all those little pieces of cloth and making them into something beautiful is so rewarding. I make quilts for my grandkids, charities and Alpha-1 fundraisers.

I feel each day is a gift and I don’t plan to waste it or exchange it . . . it is mine to shape into what fits me best. Life presents many challenges to each of us; how I accept and rise to the challenge of living with Alpha-1 sets a positive example for my family and friends.