Dear Supporter
Asthma Foundation SA needs your help!
Each week I hear stories from South Australians who struggle with their asthma on a day-to-day basis.
Sadly, some of the stories have tragic endings – where families are shattered by the loss of loved ones. Fortunately, most stories have a positive ending - people telling us how, with Asthma Foundation support and the help of health professionals, people have managed to get their asthma under control.
One such story comes from Nicole, a 26 year old mother of two, from Adelaide’s northern suburbs recently wrote to us about her life-long experience living with asthma. With Nicole’s permission, I thought it would be appropriate to share her story with you to give you an idea of how your ongoing support helps everyday South Australians with asthma.
I was diagnosed with severe asthma at the age of 2 and severe eczema at the age of 3, and it has stayed with me until now.
I spent a lot of my childhood in hospital. I was in hospital regularly until I was about 12, when my asthma seemed to be more easily managed (but always still on the highest dose of medication).
It was when I became pregnant with my second child at 24 that I was again admitted into hospital for my asthma. I was 7 months into my pregnancy when, out of nowhere, I stopped breathing. I almost died.
I was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit.
When I was finally taken off the ventilator, I had severe memory loss due to my brain being starved of oxygen. It took a few months for me to regain almost full use of my memory. I was so relieved when I gave birth to happy, healthy baby boy.
Nicole has had a long association with Asthma Foundation SA. As a child she attended camps run by our organisation for children with asthma. More recently she received one of our Asthma Control Packs, containing up-to-date asthma management information. This prompted Nicole to call Asthma Foundation SA’s free Breathe Better Information Line (1800 645 130).
I found the asthma educator on the line to be wonderful. She was kind, helpful and I felt so much better after getting off the phone.
I believe that Asthma Foundation SA is the best service in South Australia for people with asthma. The people there listen to you and provide the best information for your needs.
We all know that asthma is something that many people must deal with, but I don’t think people really understand just how serious it is. I think we have become desensitised to the phrase ‘asthma attack’ and people are not taking it seriously.
Last year Asthma Foundation SA;
- trained over 1,200 doctors, nurses and other health professionals
- trained over 4,600 staff with a duty of care in schools and child care services in Asthma First Aid
- responded to over 3,300 calls on the free Breathe Better Information Line
South Australia has the highest rate of hospital admissions for asthma in the country. Your gift today will enable continued support for people like Nicole, improve their quality of life and potentially save lives! By completing the gift form below and returning it in the reply paid envelope you will be supporting more South Australians who struggle for breath.
Thank you.
David Bedson
Chief Executive
Asthma Foundation SA
PS. Your donation is tax-deductible and will make a real difference in enabling Asthma Foundation SA to continue to help people like Nicole to breathe better. Thank you.