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| Jr. Feature |

Hidden Heroes: Part 2 of 6 — Asthma   

There is no cure for asthma; it is treated by preventing the attacks, or at least keeping them under control with medications

What is asthma?

During an asthma attack, the airways swell up and fill with mucous. That makes it very hard for air to get in, which causes difficulty breathing. Wheezing is a sound that asthmatics commonly make when they are struggling for air.

There is no cure for asthma; it is treated by preventing the attacks, or at least keeping them under control with medications that help widen the airways, allowing more air to enter. These meds are inhaled, which means breathed in, through a small, non-electronic device called an inhaler, or through a mask and a larger, electric device called a nebulizer. Sometimes, other oral (taken by mouth) medications are also used.

 

Meet the Heroes

Ayelet

is a fun-loving, sports-loving girl with a great sense of humor. She is the youngest of five children. She hates studying history and hates washing dishes!

 

Zaza

is the older sister of two girls. She is also the bearer of a unique, adorable nickname: her friends in real life do actually call her Zaza, she didn’t make that up for the Jr! Zaza loves to read, write, and draw.

 

When did you find out you had asthma? How did you find out?

Ayelet: I’m a very active girl — I love sports, and I’m always running, jumping, or playing basketball. In sixth grade, I started noticing that my chest got tight when I ran a lot, and I’d cough. One day, we were doing a running exercise at school when my gym teacher said, “I think you have asthma.”

My mother took me to the doctor. He told me to run around the parking lot, and then he listened to my chest. The doctor said that I have exercise-induced asthma and gave me an inhaler to use. I had to use the inhaler 20 minutes before every gym class and any time I exercised.

I am very dependent on my inhaler, but I am a sport-addict, and I wouldn’t let that stop me from playing basketball! I lived in a city which is like the Allergy Capital. My asthma got worse during certain seasons, so I need to use my nebulizer several times a day. At certain times of the year, I can’t step outside without having an asthma attack.

Excerpted from Mishpacha Magazine. To view full version, SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE or LOG IN.

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