Tristan Joseph, a healthcare communications professional from London, Ontario, has lived with asthma, allergies, and eczema for most of her life. With determination, courage, and a positive attitude, she has not only learned how to manage her own condition, but has also used her personal experience to support others facing similar challenges through volunteer work and advocacy.  

Diagnosis

Tristan’s first encounter with asthma was at the age of 8 during what was supposed to be a fun sleepover at a classmate’s farmhouse. After spending the day enjoying the outdoors and petting horses, she woke up in the middle of the night struggling to breathe – an experience that was both frightening and unfamiliar.  

“I remember waking up in the night just gasping for air. I had never had that experience before. My parents came to get me, took me to the hospital, and that was my first experience with asthma.”  

About a year later, after developing food allergies, she was referred to an allergist and underwent a prick test to identify allergies coinciding with her asthma diagnosis. The test results revealed several additional allergies, including horses, which remain one of her most significant triggers to this day. This began the lifelong process of evaluating her environment, habits, and lifestyle to identify and avoid any potential triggers.  

“It was very much a trial of going through everything in my life to discover what I had to get rid of.”  

Effects on Daily Life

Asthma has a significant impact on Tristan’s daily life, limiting everything from her fitness routine and housekeeping to her social and professional activities. Recently, her daily morning walk has been disrupted by wildfire smoke. At home, she has to maintain a serious focus on cleaning to avoid the buildup of dust and mold, which are both triggers for her.  

Social relationships have been affected. Friendships have been lost due to the presence of pets in others’ homes. This can even extend into her professional life. 

“When I’m invited to a networking event at someone’s house, my first question is ‘Do you have a cat? Do you have a dog?’ I’ve had workplaces that have been dog-friendly, and people become very protective of having their dogs at work, and they’d rather the dog come in than me, which sucks. You feel like ‘okay, I’m a lesser human being because you would rather have the dog here than me.’” 

Tristan also faces challenges regarding another one of her significant triggers, smoke. Whether it’s cigarettes or vapes, or secondhand or thirdhand, the effects can be immediate and debilitating. 

“When I lived in Mississauga in my 30s, it was the same thing. People would smoke at the bus stop, and I’d have days where I couldn’t go to work because I would inhale smoke, have a massive flare up, and have to go back home.”  

In her 20s, a lack of adherence to her treatment regimen frequently caused emergency room visits due to exposure to asthma-triggering environments. Yet, despite these challenges, Tristan remains determined not to let her asthma confine her. 

“It’s something I worry about, something I’m concerned about, but for the most part I try not to let it stop me from doing anything.”  

Her ability to thrive despite her complex health status is supported by a strong commitment to proper asthma management.  

Asthma Management

As of June 2025, Tristan feels her asthma is not as well managed as she would like. After participating in a pharmacist assessment service through the Asthma Canada and SunLife partnership, she learned that she currently falls into the middle region of asthma management. While her condition is relatively stable, triggers–notably poor air quality due to recent wildfire smoke–have been causing more frequent asthma flare-ups.  

“I feel it every day. And if I’m feeling it every day—and needing to use my reliever inhaler—then I know my asthma is not as well controlled as it could be. I’ve had times in my life when it felt like I didn’t even have asthma. But right now, it’s clear: I’ve got asthma.” 

Throughout her life, Tristan has tried various medications in search of the best approach to managing her condition. Today, she has a disciplined regimen: she uses her controller medication twice a day, every day, at the same time, and never leaves home without her reliever (rescue) inhaler and EpiPen. However, even with this strong regimen, she recognizes that there’s room for improvement. To further improve her asthma management, Tristan is planning to get a referral to an allergist to explore additional strategies and options that could help her regain a greater sense of control and ease in her daily life. 

Family History and Cultural Significance

Atopic conditions are prevalent among Tristan’s family, who are of South Asian (Indian) decent. Her father struggles with hay fever and other respiratory issues, her paternal uncle has food allergies, and her older sister has mild asthma. But this pattern wasn’t always so common, especially among her ethnic community. 

“It was extremely uncommon when I was a child. I was the only one with asthma, food allergies, and eczema. But now, it’s rampant. It’s extremely common for children to have food allergies, eczema, and asthma quite severely in the South Asian community, where it wasn’t 40 years ago. I was the canary in the coal mine for what’s now going on in this community.” 

 Tristan’s early experience with these conditions shows how her journey is both a personal challenge and a broader sign of a growing health trend affecting many South Asian families. 

The Importance of Advocacy

Tristan is passionate about her advocacy for more dialogue, representation, and action within the asthma community. This is especially true regarding the South Asian asthma community, where the topic is not often spoken about. She emphasizes how isolating it can feel to live with a chronic condition that is so rarely acknowledged, but is grateful for opportunities to meet others that share her conditions, much like she did at Asthma Canada’s World Asthma Day Advocacy Event.  

“It was empowering and sobering to see other people from the South Asian community at the advocacy event. Within our community, we don’t talk about it enough. Everyone stands alone and they don’t get involved enough in things like Asthma Canada events to discover that there’s people like them. People like me.”  

Tristan also believes that Canada must take air quality concerns far more seriously, – not just for those with respiratory conditions, but for everyone.  

“It’s literally enshrined within the United Nations Human Rights Declaration that you have a right to clean air, and we’re not doing enough as a country. It’s not just cigarette smoke and vape smoke, it’s also wildfires and pollution. Imagine if tomorrow we woke up and we didn’t have to worry about these pollutants. We wouldn’t suddenly be cured, but it would alleviate a lot of what people go through, especially people living with chronic conditions like asthma.”  

For Tristan, the consequences of this inaction are not simple or trivial; they’re personal and urgent. 

“It infuriates me that people are dying from asthma in 2025. I find it insane because I remember when I was young, and youth and young adults my age were dying, and I thought that that was temporary. It’s not. It’s still happening.” 

Raising asthma awareness means more than just educating people on what the condition is. It means confronting systemic failures that continuously put vulnerable people at risk. With stronger policies, more inclusive conversations, and the effort to share stories that advocates like Tristan put forward, we can build a future where everyone can breathe easier and live better.  

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.