Grace Pyatt, a 25-year-old professional volleyball player and nurse from the Niagara region near Toronto, was diagnosed with asthma at the age of 20 following a severe chest infection that greatly affected her.

Reflecting on her diagnosis, Grace remembers the process as challenging, though it improved once she was referred to a respirologist.

“Once I saw the respirologist, it was amazing, but getting there took forever. I had a year where I felt like I constantly couldn’t breathe, which resulted in fainting about seven times.”

Grace recounts the frustration of being sent to a cardiologist despite repeatedly insisting that her issue was related to her breathing, prolonging her diagnosis and subjecting her to unnecessary tests.

“One doctor even suggested I was suffering from anxiety and needed to calm down. It’s hard to stay calm when you can’t breathe properly.”

After her first appointment with a respirologist, Grace was finally prescribed an inhaler and diagnosed with asthma.

In the early days of her diagnosis, Grace found the experience very tough.

“I developed a fear of exercising. I hid my asthma from my coach and teammates and took my inhaler in private. I didn’t want anyone thinking I was not capable.”

Today, Grace feels fortunate. “It took time, but I am finally in a place where my asthma is well-controlled and no longer negatively affects my life. I take my inhaler before training and move on. I carry my reliever inhaler in a fanny pack and keep it close when exercising.”

“People with asthma are often stereotyped as the ‘geeky’ kid with an inhaler in the background of a movie, unable to keep up with everyone else. I want people to know that this isn’t true. I’m playing on a national team, and my asthma isn’t holding me back at all.”

Grace also ensures she does everything possible to avoid an asthma flare up. She knows her asthma triggers, which include: dust, cardio, seasonal allergies, and cold air. She keeps her asthma and allergy medication, eye drops, and nasal spray in her emergency kit in case she needs them. She vacuums frequently to eliminate asthma triggers in carpets, and uses face masks when cleaning extensively.

Grace finds the information shared by Asthma Canada on social media very beneficial and often shares it with her own network.

If you have questions on managing your asthma and allergies during wildfire season, please contact our free HelpLine at 1-866-787-4050 or info@asthma.ca. Our team of asthma and allergy experts will happily assist you with your asthma control and help put your mind at ease.