Asthma Education/ My Passion

One challenge in my life has been having a baby with respiratory problems. At eleven months, my son Trenton required regular nebulizer breathing treatments at home to help control his Asthma symptoms. By the time he was two and a half, he needed treatments every four to six hours. Trenton was suffering and was a very sick little boy. With his need for round-the-clock attention, his care was emotionally and physically exhausting for me. I am a Registered Nurse with a background working in the Medical Intensive Care Unit, and there were days that I did not feel qualified to take care of my own child.

I read everything I could about Asthma and learned about all of the asthma triggers and I removed them from our home. I worked closely with his Respiratory Specialist when we built our new home, to make sure we did everything we could do to help him breathe easier. When we moved into our new home in June of 2005, Trenton continued to need nebulizer treatments every four to six hours.

In August of 2005 Trenton’s Respiratory Specialist recommended that I stop the use of all chemically-based products in my home; he wondered if that is what was triggering Trenton’s asthma. I followed his advice and converted my home to chemical free cleaning, laundry, and personal care products. In only three weeks, Trenton no longer required breathing treatments on a regular basis.

Trenton’s miraculous turn-around inspired me to research the vast array of medical problems caused by chemicals in our homes and especially to our children. The information and results I found absolutely shocked me.

In October of 2005 I became involved in educating other parents of children with Asthma and speaking to groups. As a Mom of a child with Asthma, I know how terrible it is to watch your child struggle to get enough air. My experiences with Trenton's Asthma taught me so much and it could be used to help other children suffer less. I knew I could help others learn more about all of the early Signs and symptoms of Asthma, help them to understand the seriousness of Asthma, help them use their Asthma Action Plan and their medications correctly, and most importantly to teach them about Asthma triggers that they can remove from their child's environment to help their children breathe easier. This has been rewarding, but most importantly has made a difference in the health and quality of life to children and their families.

If you are interested in speaking with Vicki or want her to speak to a group please contact her.