Josée Michaud: Living with, Working in, and Bereaved by Asthma

Living in Quebec’s Laurentides region just north of Montreal, Josée Michaud has been deeply impacted by asthma, living with the disease herself and tragically losing two brothers to it. “I had an older brother and a younger brother, and we all had asthma—pretty severe cases. My asthma was the least severe.”

Her older brother, Eric, struggled the most. “Eric had very bad asthma. At home, we had a nebulizer, and he was on lots of medications to manage his condition.” His asthma was complicated by allergies, including to dogs. “He was the kind of person who would wait until the very end to ask for help. Even when he was very sick, he would say, ‘No, don’t call emergency. I’ll be fine, I’ll take my puffer.’ But one day, he collapsed. He was in the ICU for a month, on a ventilator. In 2002, he didn’t wake up. We had to stop treatment. He died at 26 from a severe asthma attack.”

Tragedy sadly struck the family again when her younger brother, Luke, also died young. “He had severe bronchopulmonary issues and collapsed suddenly. We weren’t able to save him. He was just 14.”

Josée’s own asthma started early. “I was about seven when I began missing a lot of school. I had to repeat second grade because of it. I remember one time all three of us—my brothers and I—were in the hospital together. My mother even slept there with us.”

Asthma has remained a lifelong challenge for her. “My asthma was well controlled for many years. But for the last two springs, it’s been bad. I’ve had to use my puffers more often. I’m on a new injection medication that’s helping a lot. I don’t know if it’s the weather or something else, but my asthma seems to be getting worse.”

She credits her care team for helping her manage. “I have a very good pulmonologist. She’s amazing. But by the end of the year, after taking three courses of prednisone steroids, it really takes a toll. My quality of life isn’t terrible, but sometimes even walking from my car to work is hard.”

“Winter is usually great for me. But spring allergies have made the last two years difficult. When the trees start blooming, I have to take allergy pills and my asthma flares up.”

A nurse by training, Josée worked 15 years in the intensive care unit at a hospital in Montreal, before transitioning into another nursing role. “In the ICU, I saw patients with different severity of asthma attacks, and it was frightening.”

“Asthma has always been part of my life. And I want to help others recognize the symptoms and get help early—before it becomes too severe.” Her decision to speak out was reinforced by the story of Amber Couvillon, a young girl from Windsor who died of an asthma attack in 2024. “When I saw Amber’s story, I thought, ‘People need to know asthma can kill.’ I was emotional. I want to tell my story because it’s not just anxiety causing asthma attacks—there are many factors. We need to take asthma seriously.”

As someone living with, bereaved by, and working with asthma, Josée is eager to help spread awareness of how dangerous this disease can be. “I want to help raise awareness and support others, help educate, and contribute to improving asthma care and understanding.”

If you have questions on managing your asthma and allergies, 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.