Lansing- Asthma affects more than 14 million Americans, but one Olympian is trying to spread the word that it can be overcome.
Two-time tennis Olympic gold medal winner Mary Jo Fernandez, the spokesperson for the Breathe Easier campaign, spoke to local children and their parents about the disease Tuesday afternoon at the Sparrow Professional Building, 1200 E. Michigan Ave.
As a child, Fernandez showed signs of asthma, but she and her parents believed it was allergies. When she would practice she became tired, but thought it was because she was out of shape.
“I had shortness of breath,” she said. “I was scared for a while about it.”
Fernandez did not find out until she was 18 that she had asthma. Now, she is hoping that her participation in Breathe Easier will help others detect asthma quicker than she did.
“We really want parents to learn about asthma so they can get the treatment,” Fernandez said. “It’s so important to get to a specialist early on to find out about it. It’s important to let families and children know it’s manageable.”
Almost 5 million children across America have asthma, and 80 percent of those children show symptoms before the age of 5, according to the National American Lung Association.
Fifteen-year-old Malorie Plourde said she can find motivation in the accomplishments of Fernandez.
“She can still play sports even though she has asthma,” the Webberville High School cheerleader said. “She’s not letting it get in the way. I shouldn’t let asthma get in the way of doing what I want to do.”
In Michigan, Malorie is one of almost 200,000 children who have asthma, according to the American Lung Association of Michigan.
Malorie’s parents have known about her asthma since she was 6 months old. Fernandez is hoping more parents discover this ailment at an early age as well.
Fernandez started her tour May 7 in Albany, N.Y. After leaving Michigan, she will visit seven other cities before her tour ends in August.
David Szostak has learned how to cope with his asthma. He discovered his asthma while performing an everyday action.
“I’ve known I’ve had asthma probably about nine years,” the 16-year-old said. “When I was walking up steps, I ran out of breath very quickly. They thought I had allergies, so I went to an allergy specialist and they did some test and everything turned up negative.
“I still have the symptoms, but they are getting a lot better. I don’t have asthma attacks or anything. It’s quite well controlled and I can do basically everything else a normal boy my age can do.”
Dr. Richard Honicky, a professor in MSU’s Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, said before a child suffers an asthma attack, there are symptoms parents can look for. They include wheezing, coughing, mucous production, difficulty in breathing, chest tightness and blue lips.
Honicky said parents also can take their child to a specialist if their child has no symptoms.
“One of the best ways to know how well your lungs are doing is to have a pulmonary functionality test,” Honicky said. “These tests show how obstructed air in the lungs are. It’s kind of a workout (for your lungs). You’re supposed to breathe in and out very hard.”
The tests give people with asthma an idea of how well their lungs deal with the illness. From the results, specialists can determine whether a person has asthma.
“I just hope to bring more awareness to asthma,” Fernandez said. “If I can help any family, or any child, it’s a success.”
