Amit’s Story: Finding a Deeper Meaning with Severe Asthma
The Next Breath Editorial Team
August 2020
UNDERSTANDING SEVERE ASTHMA
Personal Stories
Severe asthma has had a big impact on Amit’s life. Now that she has found a better level of control, its inspired a new career path.
Amit has always enjoyed being active. From a young age she took part in gymnastics, and as a teenager enjoyed swimming and running.
At age 18, Amit noticed that she was starting to cough after going running, so she visited her doctor who confirmed she had mild asthma. A year later, having just joined the Israeli army, Amit experienced her first severe asthma attack.
“An asthma attack feels like you have no air,” shared Amit. “It’s very scary and the most stressful situation that I’ve ever been in. You are just helpless.”
She finally understood how debilitating shortness of breath could be.
Over the next two weeks, Amit faced four trips to the hospital, which ultimately resulted in her being released from the army. On a personal level, she found it hard to adapt to life with more frequent and severe symptoms; she was young and wanted to go out with her friends and keep up her running. But that just wasn’t possible anymore.
The next few months for Amit were admittedly tough. It felt like she had no option other than to stay at home and avoid anything that could trigger another severe asthma attack. But with time, Amit started to change her perspective.
She began to be really careful about taking her medications and avoiding her known asthma triggers. Amit shared,
“Asthma is a disease that can be difficult and dangerous, so it is important for every person to know his or her limitations. By really focusing on taking care of asthma, it is possible to find control. You can manage the disease rather than having the disease manage you.”
Amit, who lives with severe asthma, is studying to become a nurse in her native Israel.
Having learned how to better control her disease and inspired by the care she received as a patient, Amit is now studying to be a nurse. She shared, “Nurses have the ability and desire to help from a real and pure place. The many hospitalizations I've had in the past allowed me to get to know the nursing profession relatively closely.”
Amit also explained how her own experience of severe asthma offers her a deeper understanding of what patients may be going through, especially those who suffer from shortness of breath. She explained, “It gives me the ability to really help them from a place of empathy and a true, deep understanding of what they are going through.”
What does the future hold for Amit? She told us, “In 10 years, I hope I can run a half marathon. I hope that in 10 years, my asthma will be fully controlled and I will be able to live without any limitations at all.”
Watch Amit’s story in her own words and learn more about steps you can take by reading Planning for Asthma Control.
Date of Approval: July 2020 | MAT-GLB-2000970
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Severe asthma has had a big impact on Amit’s life. Now that she has found a better level of control, its inspired a new career path.
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Moving the future of asthma forward, together
Working together, we can bring more awareness to severe asthma,
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to strive for better asthma control.
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