Rachel Anne Normand lives in Ottawa with her husband and their two children. Her youngest son, Jacob, now five, lives with asthma, a diagnosis the family did not receive until a severe asthma attack one night caught them completely off guard.
“Before Jacob’s diagnosis, asthma wasn’t something I spent much time thinking about. I knew it existed, but I didn’t understand how serious or dangerous it could be. Jacob was a healthy, active toddler. Like most young children, he caught colds now and then, but nothing ever felt out of the ordinary.
That changed when Jacob was three years old.
One night, Jacob had a cold, a runny nose, a bit of congestion, and some coughing. We put him to bed thinking it would pass. In the middle of the night, he woke us up. A soon as I saw him, I knew something was incredibly wrong. He was struggling to breathe. He couldn’t speak. His body was stiff, and his rib cage was pulling in deeply with every breath. He was pale, frightened, and gasping for air. At the time, asthma never crossed my mind. I thought it might be an allergic reaction or a cold that had suddenly become dangerous. I didn’t know what an asthma attack looked like.
Asthma Awareness Month 2026
This Asthma Awareness Month, we’re shining a light on asthma attacks, what they are, how to recognize them, and what to do when they happen.
We abruptly woke our daughter, put both kids in the car, and drove as fast and as safely as we could to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. The drive took about 40 minutes, and it felt endless. I kept thinking about how we had moved farther away from the hospital just a couple of years earlier. Every extra minute was terrifying.
By the time we arrived, Jacob had started to calm down on his own, which now feels like a miracle. But when the triage nurse took his vitals, everything changed instantly. We were taken in right away. Within moments, we were surrounded by healthcare professionals. That was when it truly sank in. This was a true medical emergency!
That night, Jacob was diagnosed with asthma. That was how we found out, through a full-blown asthma attack rather than gradual symptoms or routine testing. We spent the night in the hospital and were discharged the next morning with an Asthma Action Plan and medications.
Two days later, we were back in the hospital. Jacob’s coughing had returned and wouldn’t stop. Even after following the action plan exactly, his symptoms weren’t improving. He needed another round of steroids. We were told that sometimes the first treatment isn’t enough.
After that, everything changed for our family.
We removed the carpet from Jacob’s bedroom. We replaced his mattress and added certified asthma and allergy-friendly protective covers. We removed potential triggers from our home. We learned that colds were his biggest trigger, and now, at the very first sign of one, we act. We follow his Asthma Action Plan carefully and without hesitation. His medication is always nearby—at home, at school, and wherever he goes.
What stays with me most is how unprepared we were before that night. We didn’t recognize the warning signs. We didn’t know what to do during an asthma attack. If we had been given even basic information earlier, there are things we could have done while waiting for help.
Since then, I’ve learned through doctors, through Asthma Canada, and through other families’ stories just how quickly asthma can become life-threatening. I’ve read about children who didn’t survive because the signs weren’t recognized in time or because medication wasn’t close enough. One story that stuck with me was the story of 14-year-old Amber Marie McCollum who lost her life to an asthma attack. That knowledge has changed how I advocate for my son.
Today, Jacob’s asthma is well controlled. He goes to school, plays sports, and enjoys being a kid. But we never let our guard down. I’m not being overprotective; I’m being prepared! Because now I understand how serious asthma really is, and I never want another family to learn that the way we did.”
