Got Asthma? Program Offers Tips for Coping
Posted on: Sunday, 6 April 2008, 09:00 CDT
Every morning, 6-year-old Jasmine E. Watt of Reading takes six medications to control her asthma.
But sometimes, when the condition flares up, she needs more.
Saturday was one of those days.
As she participated in Healthy Hoops, a program offering hands-on asthma education to children and their families, Jasmine inhaled medication to calm her coughing.
Wearing a blue Cookie Monster hat and a matching watch, Jasmine was one of about 100 children who participated in Reading's first Healthy Hoops event.
Coordinated by Ameri-Health Mercy Health Plan and local sponsors, the program offers children health screenings, lung capacity tests and the chance to play basketball.
"We use basketball as a hook," said Robert E. Cooper, manager of community affairs for the insurer. "We want the children to understand they could be active with asthma."
Healthy Hoops began in 2003 in the Philadelphia area and has expanded to other states, Cooper said.
Urban areas have a higher incidence of asthma cases for many reasons, including more pollution and mold, said Dr. Barrie G. Baker, medical director for Healthy Hoops.
Jasmine is one such case. Her asthma is chronic.
Though quiet, the young girl was quick to nod her head and smile when her mom, Yvonne Sanchez, prompted her: Do you wish you could get rid of your asthma?
Sanchez and Jasmine's father, Robert W. Watt, attended the event together for their daughter's sake.
"Trying to get anything new I could learn, for times like this where she's going through this, and I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do and she's not getting any better," Sanchez said.
On Saturday, the couple learned to give Jasmine lung capacity tests, which can signal a need for more medicine or a visit to the doctor. Event organizers gave participants peak flow meters to perform the test at home.
With its blood pressure readings and lung capacity tests, the event reminded 10-year-old Kordell D. Care of the hospital, but not in a scary way.
Before he played basketball, Kordell said he liked learning what people with asthma can do to keep healthy.
Kordell's asthma doesn't keep him from sports: He plays football, basketball and more. However, there are times when physical activity causes flare-ups that necessitate the use of his inhaler, he said.
Pediatric asthma can be very scary for children, Baker said. "You see the pictures of the fish out of water, and that's what it's like for some children," she said. "The end point of any type of asthma is basically you feel like you're suffocating."
Spreading awareness is key in helping families manage the condition, Cooper said.
"It removes fear," he said of knowledge. "The fear of not breathing can be a huge fear. The more educated they are, the less fearful they will be as far as getting help."
Source: Reading Eagle
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