DALLAS — For kids with respiratory issues, the hot stagnant air in Texas can be a big problem.
Especially when you consider that one of every 10 school-aged children has asthma, according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology.
That's why Baylor hospital is trying to make sure their youngest patients are in complete control of the chronic condition.
Ten-year-old Rhian Clarkson is taking part in Camp Airways, a free day-long program put on about six times a year for young kids with asthma. The camp is hosted by The Martha Foster Lung Care Center at Baylor and the Dallas Independent School District.
"You feel like you're out of breath, like you can't breathe, and then you might feel like you're going to pass out," said Clarkson.
They all have asthma, and they spent Friday morning learning how to deal with it.
There's no cure for asthma, but with information and medication it is treatable. And Friday morning, Clarkson and her fellow campers will learn to deal with it.
"They have gone this long without knowing what to do, knowing what's causing their symptoms, and it's maybe limited them for 10, 11, 12 years from doing the things that they love," said Laurie Blundell, a respiratory therapist.
Missing out on physical actives is something Blundell says young asthma patients shouldn't have to do.
"If we can teach her how to control her asthma to be able to do the things that she likes then our goal has been met," she said.
They'll always have asthma but after they learn the basics, the hope is they won't have to think about it.
"You have to have your rescue inhaler on you all the time," Clarkson Said.
And when you know what it's like to not be able to breathe, breathing easy means so much more.
