Asthma and childhood

                In 1974, at the age of 6, I was diagnosed with severe asthma. The initial result was that I spent a good portion of first grade at home rather than in school. I had a friend who lived down the street who would get off the bus, come to my house, and pick up my completed work and drop off new assignments. At that time, the convenient portable inhalers and nebulizers were not available. Each asthma attack meant a rushed trip to the emergency room to spend time in an oxygen tent. The doctors were also unclear about what was triggering my attacks, so a great deal of time that year was spent eliminating certain foods from my diets, testing my reactions to things like extreme hot and cold, pets, and plants.  It was finally determined that my particular triggers were pet hair, pollen, bee stings, and extremely cold air. For years, my mother did everything she could to keep me inside and “safe” where she could watch me. This meant I wasn’t allowed to play any sports, go out in the snow, have a pet, or basically have a normal childhood. I was rarely allowed to visit the homes of classmates, because they might have a pet or something else that would make ne wheeze. I even spent recesses inside most of the time because of the fear of something triggering an attack. These severe restrictions made developing friendships difficult. I stopped getting invited places because I was so rarely allowed to go. My playmates were my siblings and the few kids who stuck by me.

                As I got older, the attacks became less frequent and less severe. This, combined with the availability of portable medications that I could administer myself meant that many of the restrictions on my life were lifted. By the time I reached junior high, I was allowed to join a swim team and enjoy outdoor activities. I tried out for softball, basketball, and cheerleading, but I never made the cut because I lacked the skills that I should have developed when I was younger. Since I lacked the skills for sports, I decided to pursue other activities. I joined the school chorus and youth folk group in my church. I began teaching the music program in my church’s religious education program as well. I joined the yearbook staff, and became the editor by my senior year.

                Yes, my condition played havoc with my development of gross motor and social skills, but I learned to adapt. In time, I caught up to my peers socially, although I tend to be clumsy and not coordinated enough for sporting games.

                Asthma continued to be a serious medical threat for children around the world. In fact, the threat seems to be getting worse in some areas, while others have taken steps to try and reduce the risk by working to reduce air pollution—a big factor in asthma.  In addition, the science community is realizing that they don’t understand how asthma works as well as they thought they did. They are realizing that standard practices intended to increase health worldwide may in fact be making the problem worse instead of better.