A Story of Peter's Childhood Asthma

At first Peter's childhood was just like any other kid’s. He went to school, played games at recess and was just as active as any other child. Unfortunately, when Peter entered fifth grade he began to realize that it was becoming harder and harder to play the games with other kids.

When Peter tried to run it found it hard to breathe. When he tried to climb the stairs to get to a class he would wheeze. Just chasing the dog in the yard became a chore. I soon realized that there might be something wrong with him, so I took Peter to the doctor where he was diagnosed with childhood asthma.

Childhood Asthma Effects

When Peter was first diagnosed I didn’t think anything of it. I thought that just taking a puff from his inhaler would help him if he had problems breathing. unfortunately I was wrong. Peter was a kid and he didn’t have the capacity to understand how serious his condition really was.

Peter thought that having childhood asthma was going to keep him from running a marathon (although he'd never had the desire before anyway). I didn’t understand that the slightest reaction to an allergy could send him to the hospital. We were both truly ignorant of all the complications of Peter's childhood asthma.

It took a near fatal asthma attack in the 7th grade to open our eyes. Peter never understood, until that point, that running in freshly cut grass was an asthma trigger. Before he knew it he had collapsed on the ground without the ability to draw the tiniest breath. Peter not being able to breathe scared me more than I could describe.

After that unfortunate event we were able to fully comprehend the seriousness of his condition. After that day, Peter didn’t run as often as he used to. He didn’t hop the stairs two at a time like he used to. He didn’t take each breath of air for granted like he used to. He restricted himself to doing only the basic things, and he grew depressed because of it.

Peter Takes His Life Back From Childhood Asthma

Childhood asthma became Peter's crutch. He used it as an excuse to stay indoors and watch TV. He used it as excuse to not participate in PE. He used it as excuse to skip the prom and stay home. Peter's asthma became more life threatening than it was supposed to be because he allowed it to slowly suck the “life” from him. His friends began to leave him alone and he became a loner. Peter stayed in his room and only left to eat. Asthma was his death sentence and it wasn’t supposed to be and I didn't know what to do to help him.

In June of 1999, Peter's mother died. We were both devastated. She was the only one who had been there for him through his depression. He suddenly realized that he had been using asthma, and his mother, as a crutch to feed his depression. It’s sad that it took the death of a parent to open his eyes but at least he was able to move on. After that day Peter sought treatment for his depression and asked his doctor about asthma medications he could use.

Peter had allowed his childhood asthma to rob him of his childhood and he wasn’t going to continue on that path to destruction. When people hear about childhood asthma they only think about the physical problems associated with the disease. No one thinks about how mentally damaging it can be to a kid.

If your child or the child of someone you love is diagnosed with asthma make sure you find someone who can help them cope with the disease. Childhood asthma is not an excuse to give up on childhood it is a reason to live your childhood fully and make the most of your life.

Tags: Asthma, asthma-in-children, childhood-asthma, Types of Asthma

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