Out of Breath? Teens with Asthma Get the Word Out

Feature Editors:
Amber McConnico, 16
Yashira Colón, 14
Massachusetts

by April Whitlow - 19, MO

Picture this

You’re walking with your friends and you spot an ice cream truck up ahead. One friend yells, “Last one there treats everyone else!” so you start to run. Suddenly, you feel a tightness in your chest, and soon you’re wheezing and gasping for air.

You have asthma. There are many teens with this condition, and even more who know a family member or friend who has it. For teens with asthma reading this: you’re not alone.

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic (long-lasting) respiratory disease that has many causes, including allergies, irritants, infections, and stress. People whose parents or other relatives have asthma are also more likely to develop it. People with asthma experience recurring, random attacks in which they have trouble breathing and feel their chests constrict. During an attack, muscle spasms cause air passages in the lungs to narrow. Mucus, which builds up in response to irritating things in the air, also clogs the lungs, making it hard to breathe.

Like a Fish Out of Water
Amber McConnico, 16
Massachusetts

How would you feel if your friends were playing basketball or double-dutch or practicing a dance you wanted to do while you had to sit it out, gasping for air? How would you feel if you were standing outside on a snowy day, then suddenly felt like you were being smothered by a pillow? I know these feelings because I put up with them myself. When things like this happen, I feel out of place and left out. I’m always forced out of the game just when it’s getting interesting. People often think I’m being lazy and don’t want to participate or help my team. When the air is brisk, I can’t even stand outside for five seconds without having trouble breathing.

I was diagnosed with asthma when I was just a year old and I’ve hated it ever since. I used to be on my school’s basketball team, but I quit because my asthma kept me out of practice and on the bench at every game. I was sick for most of the season because I would spend so much time running, then had to walk home from practice in the snow. I often had to stay home sick from school after cold and snowy days.

Since I still wanted to participate in a sport, I decided to try swimming. It is a much better match for me, because breathing in the moist, warm air doesn’t aggravate my asthma. Another good thing is that I’m living a normal teenage life and I’m in control of my asthma. I carry my inhaler with me everywhere I go.

I had a severe asthma attack when I was 9, and I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. My chest was so tight and it hurt so much that I couldn’t breathe at all. I was coughing and wheezing like crazy; I thought I was going to die. Thank God, I’m still alive today. All I could hear was my mom’s voice trying to calm me. I remember her asking, “Amber? Baby girl? How you feeling?” I responded to her wheezing, “Like a fish out of water, Mommy.”

“I’m living a normal teenage life and I’m in control of my asthma. I carry my inhaler with me everywhere I go.”

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