Jeremiah Leulseged, born in Canada with Ethiopian roots, lives in Calgary, where he works as a video editor and videographer. Diagnosed after a frightening asthma attack as a toddler, Jeremiah spent much of his childhood in and out of hospital. He shares his story:
“When I was two years old, I had my first asthma attack. I don’t remember it myself, but my parents have told me the story many times. My mom was actually in labour with my younger sister at the hospital, so I had been left with family friends for the day. I was running around outside like any kid would. When my dad came to pick me up, he immediately knew something was wrong. He said it looked like my lungs were trying to escape my ribs.
He rushed me back to the hospital he had just come from. That’s when the doctors realized I was having an asthma attack and diagnosed me with asthma.
After that, asthma became a constant part of my life. From about the age of two until my early teens, I was in and out of the hospital often. It could be once a month or every couple of months, sometimes staying for a few days while doctors monitored me or adjusted my medications.
Almost anything could trigger my asthma back then. Dust, allergies, exercise, even just sitting in a room where something irritated my lungs. I was taking controller medications every day and using reliever inhalers regularly. I also had to learn pretty quickly that staying calm during an asthma attack was important, because panic only made the breathing worse.
One asthma attack that really stuck with me happened when I was in elementary school. Our class was sitting in a circle playing the telephone game, where you whisper a message to the next person. At the same time, I was having an asthma attack. I remember trying to keep it together because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself.
When the message got to me, I could barely get the words out because I could barely breathe. One of the girls in the class noticed something was wrong and told the teacher. Eventually an ambulance had to be called, and I ended up spending about two weeks in the hospital after that. Looking back, I wish I hadn’t been so embarrassed to speak up sooner.
Things started to change when I was around twelve years old. I met another kid who told me he used to have asthma but had started playing soccer and running more. He explained it to me in a simple way, saying your lungs are a muscle and you can strengthen them.
That idea stuck with me. I started small, just walking outside more. Then I started running, and eventually I joined sports teams. Over time my asthma attacks became less frequent and much more manageable.
Asthma is still part of my life today.
I still take my controller medication, and I still pay attention to my breathing. But now I spend a lot of time outdoors hiking in the mountains near Calgary. Some days I can feel when my lungs need me to slow down, especially if I forget my medication or if the air quality is bad from wildfire smoke.
Living with asthma has taught me to really listen to my body. When you’re having an asthma attack, you become aware of every single breath you take. That awareness has stayed with me throughout my life.”
