I recall havingasthma attacksthat required immediate action.
There werent a large variety oftreatmentslike there are today.
Becauserescue inhalerswerent available to me, every attack was an emergency that required urgent treatment in a hospital environment.
Photo courtesy of Charmayne Anderson / Designed by Zoe Hansen / Verywell
I have vivid memories of these emergencies.
Doctors would have to administerepinephrineshots to resolve mysymptoms.
That was the only way to get relief.
As I got older, nebulizer treatments became available, and then eventually inhalers.
I would have asthma attacks at school, where emergency medication wasnt available to me.
Now kids can carry inhalers in school and the schools keep medicine on hand.
I dont know if anyone in my family history had asthma because Im adopted.
So, I dont have access to my family medical history to know if this runs in my family.
I lived in an apartment with wall-to-wall carpeting.
We had a pet dog, and my mother smoked.
So all of these factors would have exacerbated my asthma.
Charmayne Anderson
Fear of dying was always in my head as a young person.
Once I understood these triggers, I struggled.
I had to limit my time outside, or I would miss school because I had an attack.
It was limiting my life in many ways.
Passing It Down
My children also have asthma.
I see them go through the same experiences I had and experience a similar level ofanxiety.
My childrens asthma is much more controlled than mine was, because they have more treatment options available.
You learn and grow a lot by having this condition.
As a mom with asthma, I want to know my kids can manage it on their own.
I started my career in government affairs after having interned on Capitol Hill.
That experience showed me that I really wanted to shape policy and improve peoples lives.
In my work, I represented local government and small communities.
That included affordable housing communities, public safety, and more.
I always wondered why God placed asthma in my life and my childrens lives.
My journey with asthma has been an evolution and a truly full-circle experience.
I started doing research on asthma organizations and stumbled upon Allergy & Asthma internet.
That was six years ago.
Ive been with AAN ever since.
My journey with asthma has been an evolution and a truly full-circle experience.
What I do is so purposeful.
It doesnt really feel like work.
Living With Asthma During the Pandemic
Living with asthma during the pandemic has been very scary.
I want to show them how you’re free to turn fear on its head.
With the pandemic, I learned to be more diligent about protecting myself.
Living with asthma during the pandemic has been very scary.
I was afraid that if I got COVID-19, Id be at greater risk of complications or even dying.
All those things helped calm my fears.
I was being proactive about protecting myself.
I made sure that the people around me, who I loved, were doing the same.
My goal is to increase the level of understanding about the disease.
I really want to focus on underserved communities and people that look like me.
We all can live healthy and productive lives.
We just need to be vigilant.
Asthma and Allergy Association of America.What are asthma triggers?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Asthma and secondhand smoke.
University of Illinois.Emotional effects of asthma.
American Lung Association.The unequal burden of asthma on the black community.
