A MUSIC therapist says her life has been changed by a lifeline piece of kit which will breathe a new lease of life into her lungs.
Tess Jewson, 32, was given just months to live after doctors found she had a hole in her heart in 2008, aged 17.
Tess, who grew up in Tiptree, was initially misdiagnosed with asthma for ten years before medics diagnosed her with pulmonary hypertension.
She continues to fight for a double lung transplant which remains the only cure for the heart and lung condition after being told her case will only be prioritised when her health hits its worst.
But Tess has now received welcomed respite in the form of a portable oxygen concentrator which will allow her to breathe safely while out and about.
It follows a £2,000 fundraiser championed by her husband Terry who took part in a 10km race last month to raise vital money.
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Now Tess, a music therapist who plays the piano and cello but had to give up the trumpet due to her condition, is celebrating being able to live her life to its full potential.
“It makes me feel a lot happier and I am just grateful that I have got this medical aid to enable me to live life to the best of my abilities," she said.
“It is going to be another part of me that I am going to have to get used to while I wait for a lung transplant.
“I can use it anywhere so I do not have to rely on canisters that run out anymore.”
READ MORE: Music therapist with incurable condition bids to fund 'life-changing' oxygen device
The handy bit of kit, which can be charged in the car, comes on a trolley and takes in fresh air and filters it into breathable, pure oxygen.
Tess said her previous NHS-issued device was too heavy duty to take outside of her house.
“I don’t want to be seen all the time with oxygen but I have to put my health first,” she added.
“I am just really grateful to all the people who have donated. We are overwhelmed with the support from everyone.”
To read more about Tess' story, you can find her blog at www.phighter.co.uk.
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