Overcoming asthma

Twelve-year-old Hilary Underhay has been living with asthma since about age three. However, the chronic lung disease doesn't stop her from playing spotlight, soccer or hockey, or from singing in the church choir and in school competitions.

"This year I came second in Crescent idol," she says of the competition held at her school, Crescent Collegiate in Blaketown.

"And I came first when I was in it at Epiphany," Hilary says of her Heart's Delight elementary school.

The Grade 7 student is allergic to such things as mould, dust, plants, animal fur and smoke.

The allergies can leave her coughing and struggling to breathe, she says.

"I'm really nervous because sometimes it feels like my throat is closing up. One time I had a really bad reaction and I felt like I was going to choke."

Hilary uses Symbicort inhalers - "puffers" - to control her asthma symptoms.

Symbicort is a combination of a long-acting bronchial dialator and a steroid.

"I carry them in my purse and in my book bag. I take two in the morning and two in the night. And if I get short of breath during the day, I'll take two more."

Hilary also takes a pill called Singulair every night. It's a preventative medicine that reduces inflammation in the airways.

Part of life

While there is no cure for asthma, Hilary has learned to live life to the fullest by controlling her symptoms.

She's given presentations to kids her own age, explaining all about the disease, she says.

"Every year, about 500 Canadians die from asthma. Most of these deaths could have been prevented with proper education," she said in her recent speech to the Girl Guides.

One of the downsides of having asthma, Hilary says, is not being able to own a pet.

However, she adds, it's good to know that her friends understand about her asthma, especially her classmates.

"Nobody ever made fun of me when I have to take my puffers and I educated them about it. My friend Katie (St. George), she has a cat, dog and a horse. But if I'm over there and I say that I'm getting wheezy, we'll go back to my house and we'll watch a movie or go outside."

Hilary says teachers in her school have also taken steps to ensure her symptoms are well controlled.

"They put white boards with markers in our classrooms instead of chalkboards."

Tuesday is World Asthma Day - a day set aside to improve awareness of the disease.

It's estimated that 2.1 million Canadians have asthma, says Dr. Mary Noseworthy, a pediatric respirologist with Eastern Health.

According to Noseworthy, 50 per cent of children under 5 have asthma symptoms.

"As children get older that reduces to 15 per cent of children. So with proper management, kids can breathe easy and have control of their symptoms."

Noseworthy also notes that childhood obesity increases the risk of having lifetime asthma by 50 per cent.

On Thursday and Friday Noseworthy attended meetings of the National Lung Health Framework: Plan for Action Conference in Ottawa.

The framework represents a co-ordinated approach to prevent and manage respiratory diseases in Canada.

It will lead to better policy, leadership, research, innovation and education on lung health.

Over 180 health professionals attended the conference at which Federal Health Minister Tony Clement announced the development of a national action plan to improve the respiratory health of all Canadians.

"We've got physicians here, nurses, respiratory therapists, and some health ministers from provincial governments here looking at how all these people can help come up with a good health framework for lung initiative," Noseworthy said during a telephone interview from Ottawa Thursday evening.

According to Noseworthy, environmental control and environmental changes are now impacting lung health so much across the country that it's necessary to tie in these problem areas with a physician orientated health framework.

In promoting World Asthma Day, she says, it's important to get the word out there that asthma is indeed a controllable condition.

"One of the tricks with childhood asthma is that you have to try and find out what the trigger is. For kids under age four the most common triggers are often viruses."

danette@nl.rogers.com