Originally from France and now living in Toronto, Canada, Alissia Gesret’s family history has been shaped by asthma following the death of her uncle, Franck. She shares thier family story:
“Legacy.
The word carries several meanings. It can refer to money or property passed down. It can describe something born from past events. But above all, a legacy is the long-lasting impact of actions, moments, or a life that continues to echo long after they are gone. My family name is known in the paramedical field for a breakthrough in non-invasive asthma treatment. What led to that discovery, however, is rooted in tragedy. It begins with the story of too many children with asthma.
To understand it, you need to meet my uncle, Franck.
To tell his story, I need to take you back to July 15th, 1974.
Portes-lès-Valence, France
It is a hot summer day in the hills of southeastern France. Cicadas sing relentlessly. The wind moves through tall wheat grass, and the air is heavy with the scent of dry lavender.
This is not just any summer day. It is Franck’s tenth birthday.
For the occasion, my father – Franck’s older brother – has organized everything. Friends and neighbors gather to celebrate. Franck runs, laughs, and plays like any other child his age. But for Franck, even the simplest, most innocent joys come at a cost. Every burst of excitement is a fight for breath.
Later in the day, my father looks for his brother and finds him locked in the bathroom. Franck is using his inhaler, exhausted, trying to catch his breath after simply being a child. Between two puffs, he looks at my father and says,
“You’re lucky you’re not sick.”
Those words carve themselves into my father’s memory forever. By evening, the guests leave and everyone goes home. Dinner is tense. Franck’s parents are angry, he has used up all the inhalers. A heated argument follows. Franck is crying so hard that his breathing worsens. He is already gasping for air.
He runs toward his bedroom but never reaches it. Franck collapses in the hallway. An asthma attack, followed by cardiac arrest.
Because the family lives in the countryside, emergency responders arrive too late. Franck is pronounced dead at the hospital. Later, it is discovered that the medication he received from the pharmacy earlier that morning was wrong. An adult dosage. One of its most common side effects is an accelerated heartbeat.
I am grateful that Franck at least spent that day laughing, playing, and being surrounded by other children he loved, one last time. That day left a permanent mark on my family.
Franck’s story is one of countless stories shaped by asthma and trauma. I am not a medical professional, and I am grateful to have been born healthy, even though asthma runs through my family. But I choose to keep telling my uncle’s story. To advocate for him, and for the many children who are still fighting, every day, just to breathe.”
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