She was diagnosed with adult asthma herself in 2014.
She works with theAllergy & Asthma Networkas a patient advocate for people with asthma.
Before my journey withasthmabegan, I thought I was the lucky one in my family.
Photo courtesy of Charnette Darrington / Designed by Zoe Hansen / Verywell
My grandfather and father both had asthma, but I didnt have it as a child.
I didnt develop asthma until I was an adult.
I wasdiagnosedin 2014, and at first, my asthma was mild and manageable.
But by 2015, my asthma becamesevere.
It had worsened to the point that I was being hospitalized regularly.
It spiraled out of control within two years, which was overwhelming.
After my first hospitalization, I hoped that regulartreatmentoptions would work.
I was on standard breathing medications, includingbronchodilatorslike albuterol and ADVAIR.
But things got progressively worse.
Previously, I was taking medication twice a day.
But then it became every four hours; some days, I took it every two hours.
I was living off my nebulizerand frequently needed to go to the hospital.
The asthma was taking over my life, and interfering with my personal and professional life.
Barriers to Treatment
By 2016, my initialpulmonologisttold me that I needed to have abronchial thermoplasty.
But he hadnt ordered anypulmonary function teststo see if that was the correct treatment.
I didnt have a lot of trust in him.
I needed someone who was going to at least try other avenues before going straight to surgery.
He ran virtually every test in the book.
After the results, he came to the same conclusionthat a bronchial thermoplasty was the best option.
Charnette Darrington
I was living off my nebulizer and frequently needed to go to the hospital.
The asthma was taking over my life.
It would be a series of three surgeries.
I had the first one in October 2017, which went well.
I was supposed to have the next one the following January.
It was scheduled, but the day before the surgery, I was told that my insurance denied it.
Eventually, I went on Facebook and found a bronchial thermoplasty Facebook page.
I got a response from someone saying they would contact me.
That person turned out to be the then-CEO of Allergy & Asthma web connection, Tonya Winders.
Tonya told me about their advocacy work and how they might help me fund this surgery.
She showed me information about my rights and the bills they had helped pass to advocate for patients voices.
There was legislation that might help me and others in the same situation.
By then, I was so weak from not going through the surgery earlier.
I wasnt healthy or strong.
He decided to expedite it, so I got the second surgery in October and the third in November.
It left me pretty debilitated.
I feel blessed every day that I got those surgeries, because my life changed tremendously.
But overall, the surgery worked really well.
Ive only had one hospitalization since then.
Ultimately, I feel blessed every day that I got those surgeries because my life changed tremendously.
Im not glued to a drug regimen like I was before.
It makes life more wonderful.
Complications From Asthma
During the pandemic, I gotCOVID-19, which was really scary.
Everybody thought it was going to take me down because I already had a weakenedimmune system.
But I ended up getting the antibodies and recovering after a few weeks.
I also developedCushings syndrome, because of all the steroids I used over the years.
Ive even had to have the adrenal gland removed from my right kidney.
Many people dont realize all thecomplicationsthat can occur as a result of asthma.
So you have to stand up for yourself.
Advocacy Work
Ive gotten to participate in a lot of advocacy work from my involvement with AAN.
I actually spoke about my treatment therapy on Capitol Hill at one of the congressional buildings.
It was probably the most sensational moment of my life.
Even though I have all these issues, I feel grateful to be alive.
AAN also asked me to start participating in patient advisory boards and focus groups.
I got to share my story and give advice to others going through similar experiences.
Even though Im a respiratory therapist, its completely different being a patient than just being a professional.
You have a new compassion and understanding for your patients.
Its been pretty awesome to be a part of something like this.
I can talk to others going through the same thing and see that Im not alone.
Were all in this together.
You cant fully participate in life when you have to do constant breathing treatment.
I found that my coworkers started to look at me differently.
They thought I was weak, so I felt like I couldnt ask for help.
Theyre not as kind to you and treat you differently.
My asthma can also be triggered bystress, so the employment situation was stressful and made it worse.
But you have to keep going because theres always a patient that needs you.
I feel like Im living life fully again.
My asthma has made me more resilient.
There is astigmathat goes with it, because some people think that asthma isnt serious.
That even though youre wheezing one minute, you look fine the next.
People undermine it because people seem fine after using an inhaler.
Things like enjoying time outside, hiking, or going on bike rides with my kids.
All the things I thought I might never have again.
It was so devastating.
Being able to get that back feels so good.
I feel like Im living life fully again.
