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Susan O., OH

I am 55 years old and have four children, three grandchildren, and a husband to whom I have been married almost 34 years. I also am a severe asthmatic. I want to remain an active part of my family, but this is often difficult because of my asthma.

There is nothing worse than trying to get air into or out of your lungs and nothing happens. I wonder how many people have felt that way. I have. In my mid-40s, I had two years of very serious asthma problems that were triggered by being in a restaurant without working smoke filters. For three months, the doctors could hear no air movement at all within my lungs. I almost lost my life.

I continue to have asthma symptoms. I am on steroids at a level that is not healthy for the rest of my body. I live on Advair 250 and frequently on albuterol and albuterol inhalation therapy. I particularly struggle to breathe when the air here in Hanoverton is not clean.

I do not want my family to have the same struggles. We need to clean up the air! I hope people will truly consider that lungs ARE a vital organ. We need to protect our children and grandchildren.

First Published: July 18, 2012

Asthma Educator Institute
, | Jul 11, 2015