Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children, and when a child has an asthma attack, it can take days or even weeks to fully recover. JULY 2021 Marc My Words: Dealing With Lung Disease As A Child A Letter from the Breathe Southern California President & CEO An asthma attack is a frightening experience for a child that can come on suddenly. When an attack occurs, a child’s body works extra hard to get air into their lungs, but because their airways are swollen and inflamed, they just can’t. Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children, and when a child has an asthma attack, it can take days or even weeks to fully recover. I can recall the first time I had to take my oldest daughter to the emergency room for an asthma attack. She was just five and helping her stay calm was difficult when I was so concerned and had trouble staying calm myself. Her experience is hardly unique, though. Asthma causes more than 10 million missed days of school every year. These frequent school absences for students with asthma are associated with lower test scores, higher dropout rates, and social difficulties. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We have seen that when children learn how to better manage their asthma and their asthma triggers, they are able to reduce the number and severity of their attacks. That means fewer school absences and fewer ER visits. In fact, research shows that providing asthma management education can reduce the disparity in attendance between students with asthma and their peers. That is why we are so proud of our Lung Power™ program. This program provides workshops for kids with asthma and their caregivers that engage, educate, and empower them with the tools to manage their disease. If you would like to attend a Lung Power workshop, check out the schedule at [link removed]. And to get the latest on what Breathe SoCal is doing, follow us on social media @BreatheSoCal, and me @mcarrel. Thanks for your support. In Health, Marc Carrel President & CEO Parents, is your child using their inhaler correctly? Find Out Here Make A Difference In Your Community! Join us for our first Blue Sky LA volunteerism event on Saturday, July 17th, at the Farm Lab at Arroyo High School! We will be planting a low-water lavender garden to help improve air quality and promote relaxation and mental well-being. RSVP to Volunteer Blue Sky LA is the new community volunteerism effort of Breathe SoCal and Climate Cents. We invite Southern Californians to participate in monthly environmentally-related volunteer opportunities aimed at clearing the region's air by the 2028 LA Olympics. Our thanks to SCAQMD and SoCalGas for their financial support of Blue Sky LA. Powering Lungs for the Future The ability to breathe is something we take for granted every day. In the United States, 1 out of 12 children has asthma and pediatric asthma cases in LA County, alone, result in more than 20,000 emergency room visits, and almost 3,000 hospitalizations each year. Everyone deserves the right to breathe without the fear of having a terrifying asthma attack. That is why we hold our Lung Power™ workshops, helping families to appropriately identify asthma triggers, manage exacerbations, and manage their medications, in order to live safer and more comfortable lives. We rely on donations from people like you to put on our Lung Power workshops for kids with asthma. Every dollar you give will go directly toward providing asthma education to underserved youth and their caregivers. “I enjoyed learning about some of the causes [of asthma] I was not familiar with.” - Lung Power Program Participant Support Youth Asthma Education Don't be a stranger, stay in touch. Here's how: ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Breathe Southern California | 5858 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90036 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!