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A Story of Childhood AsthmaAt first, my childhood was just like any other kid's. I went to school, played games at recess, and was just as active as any other child. Unfortunately, when I entered the fifth grade, I began to realize that it was becoming harder and harder to play the games with other kids.
When I tried to run it was hard to breathe. When I tried to climb the stairs to get to a class, I would wheeze. Just chasing the dog in the yard became a chore. My mother soon realized that there might be something wrong with me, so she took me to my doctor. My doctor diagnosed me with childhood asthma; my life was never going to be the same.
The Effects Of Childhood
Asthma
When I was first diagnosed I didn't think anything of it. I thought that just taking a puff from my inhaler would help me if I had problems breathing; unfortunately I was way off base. I was a kid and I didn't have the capacity to understand how serious my condition really was.
I didn't understand that having childhood asthma was going to keep me from running a marathon. I didn't understand that normal daily activities could kill me. I didn't understand that the slightest reaction to an allergy could send me to the hospital. I was truly ignorant of all the complications of my childhood asthma.
It took a near fatal asthma attack in the 7th grade to open my eyes. I never understood, until that point, running in freshly cut grass was an asthma trigger. Before I knew it, I had collapsed on the ground without the ability to draw the tiniest breath. Not being able to breathe scared me more than I could describe.
After that unfortunate event, I was able to fully comprehend the enormity of my condition. After that day, I didn't run as often as I used to. I didn't hop the stairs two at a time like I used to. I didn't take each breath of air for granted like I used to. I restricted myself to doing only the basic things, and I grew depressed because of it.
Taking My Life Back From Childhood Asthma
Childhood asthma became my crutch. I used it as an excuse to stay indoors and watch TV. I used it as excuse to not participate in PE. I used it as excuse to skip the prom and stay home. My asthma was more life threatening than it was supposed to be, because I allowed it to slowly suck the "life" from me. My friends began to leave me, and I became a loner. I stayed in my room and only left to eat. Asthma was my death sentence, and it wasn't supposed to be.
In June of 1999, my mother died. I was devastated. She was the only one who had been there for me through my depression. It hit me then that I was using asthma, and my mother, as a crutch to feed my depression. It's sad that it took the death of a parent to open my eyes. After that day I sought treatment for my depression, and asked my doctor about asthma medications I could use.
I had allowed my childhood asthma to rob me of my childhood, and I 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.
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- Asthma