Now that I’m an adult, I look back at my healthy choices with pride. My asthma and overall health would not be where it is today without taking my asthma medication and creating healthy choices at a young age.
Josh Websdale is an athlete. Josh also has asthma.
As a child, I was in and out of the hospital a lot for asthma. My pediatrician couldn't control my asthma and my symptoms were getting worse and worse. On top of this, I was very active and loved to run around and play. There was all sorts of limitations on what I could do with my asthma. Almost anything could trigger an asthma attack - pollen, grass, dust, animals, etc. Finally, it seemed that I'd found a solution. I began taking a new medication, and my symptoms became easier to deal with. I began to make a habit of taking my medication regularly so I could run around and play. From regularly taking my inhalers, I began to become more consistent in other things. I started to make a habit of other daily things too. Studying, taking care of my body, exercising and eating well. These all became part of my daily routine. Now that I’m an adult, I look back at my healthy choices with pride. My asthma and overall health would not be where it is today without taking my asthma medication and creating healthy choices at a young age.
I attended Asthma camp as a child. I remember learning and play a lot. I think it’s cool that in Kinesiology we learn about the lungs and asthma, because it expands on what I learned at asthma camp. I’ve always been interested in the biology of the human body. After being introduced to it at a young age through learning about my disease, I always wanted to know more. This ultimately led me to choose Kinesiology for an undergrad. My goal is to graduate from Kinesiology and become a chiropractor.
As a track athlete, training your heart and lungs to be more efficient is done year long. With training and taking my asthma medications properly, I am a successful athlete. In track, I have been the provincial champion in long jump (indoor), javelin (outdoor), and pole vault (both). I placed 6th at youth and at junior nationals. At the collegiate level, my best placement is 5th at CanWest. My personal best is 4.57 meters, or 15 feet.
My advice to kids with asthma would be to keep playing. Don’t let asthma hold you back from trying to be what you want to be.
