My Life as an Asthma Mom

Image courtesy of Allergy & Asthma Network Don't you hate it when people say "It's just asthma?" For those of you with asthma, you know it's anything but a simple disease! Allergy & Asthma Network created infographics to show the impact of asthma and allergies on people in America. I'll just talk about asthma today. You can see that: 25 million people have asthma in America   We add to that number - our family of 5 has 4 of that battle asthma! 1 in 10 kids have asthma   That's an average of 2 students per classroom with asthma. That's just an average - one year in my daughter's class, there were 7 kids with asthma (including her) in her elementary school classroom.   Did you know that asthma is also the most common chronic disease among children and the #1 cause of missed school days!?    $80 billion spent on asthma   Don't I know it! We spend a lot of money at the pharmacy, doctor's...

See this group of amazing people? I was lucky to be part of this group of professionals who are passionate about educating others with allergies and asthma.  They are my people!  We can talk about allergies and asthma - all day long! (My family usually tunes me out after awhile. There she goes again - helping someone else!) Each of these people have their own story of how their life is impacted by allergies and asthma. If you have been reading my blog for very long, you probably know our story. Our journey began 19 years ago with the first of many hospitalizations for Son #2 and daughter Kitty. Asthma education wasn't as easy to find back then, and Asthma Doc struggled to find the right treatment for my kids. If my kids caught a cold, it always turned into pneumonia and that meant another hospitalization in the pediatric ward. We also learned that smoke from forest fires are NOT good for those with asthma. Pneumonia and smoke from forest fires caused 12 ho...

https://www.aafa.org/asthma-and-allergy-awareness-month/ May is Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month! I am one of the 60 million people in the U.S. who have allergies and asthma. So are my 3 adult kids. Sigh. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has a new campaign out.This ties in nicely with my last post about how I don't want to be called "asthmatic" because this disease doesn't define me. I am so much more than just someone with asthma! AAFA says: "This year, our focus is on raising awareness about how asthma and allergies are more than just a physical condition. They impact every aspect of life. But they don't have to define you." AAFA is sponsoring a "More Than Asthma" campaign. They are asking people with asthma to snap a photo that "shows how you overcome asthma barriers and live life fully." They are hoping it will help with misconceptions that people have about asthma (you kn...