LEWISTON – Registered Nurse Mary Callahan, author of “Breathe Out: Living Life to the Fullest, with Emphysema, COPD or Smoker’s Lung” (published by AuthorHouse), will offer a one-night seminar, “Catch Your Breath,” on living with COPD symptoms.

The seminar will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, for $12 through Lewiston Adult Education.

Chronic lung disease goes by many names. It may be called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or emphysema, or even “smoker’s lung.” About 11 million Americans suffer from it.

Callahan will help participants practice the beneficial breathing techniques that will allow them to manage symptoms, avoid complications, increase exercise tolerance and reduce the overall impact of COPD on their lives.

Residents may register to attend by calling 795-4141.

In her new book, Callahan presents a simple breathing technique to prevent shortness of breath or resolve it quickly. COPD sufferers will learn that to control the symptom means not having to fear it anymore. Without fear, they can build their exercise tolerance and rejoin activities they may have thought were off limits.

“Breathe Out” is the culmination of 15 years of experience teaching “Respiratory Disease Self-Care Classes” for the American Lung Association of New Mexico. During that time, patients taught Callahan what mattered. They said they needed to visualize what was going on in their lungs in order to breathe themselves out of trouble. They said the solution had to fit into their lives, not take over their lives.

“Breathe Out” addresses those issues. It also addresses patient anxiety, medication and preventing complications.

Callahan is working in the open-heart intensive care unit at Maine Medical Center. She has spent most of her 35-year nursing career focusing on patients with chronic lung disease.

She is the author of two other books. “Fighting for Tony” (Simon and Schuster) is about raising a child with special needs. “Memoirs of a Babystealer” (Pinewoods Press) is an exposé of the foster care system. She has appeared on the Phil Donahue Show, the Today Show and National Public Radio.

More information is available at www.BreatheOutWithCOPD.com.