By PAUL MILLAR
IT’S EVERY mother’s nightmare: watching her child struggling for breath from a sudden and unexpected asthma attack.
Kezia Calvert felt almost helpless the first time the disease struck five-year-old son Jensen, shattering what should have been a pleasant Sunday morning at their Moriac home.
Although fearful, Ms Calvert had enough initiative to call for an ambulance.
“It was severe and once I established it wasn’t a spider bite I called the ambulance. They arrived quickly but his oxygen levels were very low,” she said.
“I realised later that if I had not made that call he would not be here.”
The mother of three was given a quick education in the debilitating illness. Ms Calvert then made sure she was up to pace with the symptoms, the warning signs and how to cope with the disease.
“Being able to have a constant referral point and medical professionals to fall back on has been re-assuring,” she said.
Ms Calvert has lent her support to an Asthma Australia campaign to raise the awareness of the impact the disease has on the carers and families of sufferers.
The You Care We Care will coincide with National Asthma Week, starting at the beginning of next month.
As part of the campaign all state and federal politicians will receive an e-book, challenging them to provide support for people with asthma and their families.
One in 10 Australians has asthma, which kills at least one Australian daily.
“Even before Jensen was diagnosed I took pediatric first-aid courses so I could look after my kids but the worst thing about asthma is the uncertainty; we just don’t know when the next attack will come,” Ms Calvert said.
“Even with all my first-aid education I still felt completely helpless that night when my little boy couldn’t breathe. I hope I never have to go through the same horrible situation again.
“That first time it happened my instinct kicked in but in the following days the reality of the situation became apparent.”
The e-book will be available to download on the Asthma Australia website from 1 September.
