A KENDAL man with an incurable lung disease is holding a fundraising event to raise awareness of his rare condition.

Des Walmsley, 63, is one of just approximately 7,000 people in the UK to have been diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH).

PH is a lung disease in which the the blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs elevates, putting stress on the heart and reduces the amount of oxygen that reaches body tissues.

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Because of its rarity and the fact it shares symptoms with other more common conditions like asthma, it can take two or more years to diagnose. There is no cure, although treatments exist that can help sufferers. If left untreated however, the prognosis can be worse than many forms of cancer.

Mr Walmsley was diagnosed in 2011 after experiencing symptoms for three years. He was told then he had seven years to live..

"I knew nothing about PH when I was initially told I may have it," he said. "I certainly had no idea how serious it was until I asked how long I had left.

"It depresses me to think about not being able to see my granddaughter celebrate her 21st birthday, or watch her get married, but I'm determined to help raise awareness of the condition so that more people are diagnosed earlier."

Now he hopes to raise awareness to help potential sufferers catch its onset early.

"Even some medical staff I met had not heard of PH, or if they had, didn't know much about it," he said.

"In terms of my day-to-day symptoms, I experience shortness of breath and have lost around 37 per cent of my lung capacity. I also have a lot of aches and pains but people look at me and don't realise there's anything wrong with me."

To help raise awareness of PH, Mr Walmsley has organised a concert night at The Heron, Esthwaite Avenue in Kendal.

The event from 8pm on Saturday (June 10) features a performance from Kendal singer Lizzie Curwen. There is a range of prizes available to be won from a raffle on the night with all proceeds going to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association charity.