By Serena Agusto-Cox | News & Views

The mission of Hackensack Meridian Health’s pulmonary rehabilitation program is to help its patients “Breathe easier. Move stronger. Live better.” And that’s precisely the result 68‑year‑old Priscilla Durkin aims to achieve.

A Life of Breathing Challenges

Durkin dealt with asthma when she was young, but her breathing largely improved as an adult. That changed dramatically with recurring bouts of pneumonia, followed by the sudden onset of left hemidiaphragm paralysis several years ago.

By January 2024, her breathing difficulties had intensified. Pneumonia brought Durkin back to the hospital — this time to the intensive care unit (ICU). Her oxygen level hovered around 60 mmHg, dangerously low and capable of leading to hypoxemia and death if left untreated. She spent two weeks in the ICU as her doctors, especially her pulmonologist, pushed for her to be enrolled in the hospital’s pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program.

“I didn’t know what to expect from pulmonary rehab,” Durkin points out. “But my doctors told me it would help my breathing, and that’s what I wanted. My lungs had been compromised, and PR was exactly what I needed.”

Before entering the program, even basic movement was difficult. She relied on elevators everywhere she went. At her office, she had special permission to use a particular doorway so she wouldn’t have to climb stairs or walk long distances. But PR changed everything.

Building Strength and Community in PR

When Durkin joined Hackensack Meridian Health’s PR program, she entered a small group of four participants. “You were with the same people every session,” she says. “We supported each other. Some were quiet, but we were all in it together.”

As participants completed the program, new faces rotated in, but the supportive environment remained constant. Durkin recalls that at the start of the program, the PR staff measured how long it took her to become short of breath while walking back and forth or walking on a treadmill. This enabled them to set a baseline for her progress. Throughout the program, PR staff guided each person through personalized goals, monitored progress, and provided targeted education. Sessions included training on how to use inhalers properly, consultations with a dietitian, and practical advice, such as sitting during certain tasks to preserve energy.

“The therapists were very supportive,” Durkin recalls. “They encouraged us every step of the way.”

More importantly, they taught her how to breathe again: inhaling for two seconds, exhaling for four. “I was 68 and I didn’t know how to breathe,” she explains. They sometimes used analogies like a tennis player exhaling when hitting the ball to illustrate the rhythm of breathing and to help everyone in her cohort find control. Durkin practiced everywhere  — in the car, walking around, even during everyday tasks.

“It became second nature,” she says.

PR Transformed Her Life

The PR program spanned 12 weeks, three sessions per week. While others sometimes rested between exercises, Durkin pushed herself to keep going. “I wanted to get the most out of it,” she says. “This is my way of life now.”

After 12 weeks, PR staff measured her breathing abilities with similar tests, and she says, “I had improved 85%.” By graduation, she had met her goals but continued her breath practice at the gym four times per week. Durkin walked regularly on the treadmill — sometimes up to two miles. Eventually, she increased the inclines and gained speed. For someone who couldn’t even step onto a treadmill before PR, this was a dramatic transformation. Her doctors encouraged her to maintain a consistent routine post‑program to keep her lungs strong. She took their advice seriously.

“Pulmonary rehab was a wonderful program,” she says. “It gave me what I needed to move forward.” Durkin praises everyone who helped her at the PR program. “They reminded me that I did the hard work, but I told them that they gave me the program,” she recalls.

Additional Benefits of PR

Soon after finishing PR, Durkin faced a major surgery for a cranial tumor. Her doctors and her respiratory therapist told her that PR and her gym routine would significantly improve her surgical outcomes.

They were right.

Without PR, they said she would have likely required longer intubation, additional respiratory therapy afterward, and a much lengthier recovery. Instead, she was extubated quickly, avoided complications, and surprised nearly everyone with her strength.

“People couldn’t believe how good I looked post-surgery,” she says. “My church friends were amazed. They expected me to be weak, but I looked strong.”

Her breathing improvements also allowed her to undergo a stress echocardiogram, which was something she could never have done before PR.

Today, Durkin uses oxygen only at night for sleep apnea since she can’t tolerate the CPAP machine. She manages daytime breathing with a nebulizer or occasional inhaler use. She remains active, walking the hallways of her apartment and waiting for warmer weather to go outside. Durkin is also eager to get back to her regular gym routine.

Why Access to Pulmonary Rehab Matters

Despite the program’s benefits, Durkin expresses frustration with the length of time it took to get authorized for enrollment in the PR program. It required a life‑threatening hospitalization before her health plan gave the nod. “It bothered me that I had to almost die before they put me in the program,” she says. “More people would benefit from PR. Insurance shouldn’t make it so hard.”

PR requires time, effort, and continuous practice, but she believes the payoff is worth it. “You’re teaching yourself how to breathe again,” she said. “You need to keep doing it inside and outside the program. Put in the time and effort. It’s worth it.”

Her progress wasn’t just visible in PR. It improved her performance in physical therapy and played a major role in her surgical recovery. Friends, family, and clinicians all marveled at how quickly she’s regained her strength.

Durkin doesn’t consider herself to be an overachiever. “I’m not trying to be a superstar,” she says. “I’m just trying to keep my lungs going.” That means getting back into the gym as soon as she is cleared to do so, applying everything she has learned in PR so that she can continue breathing and living a stronger life.