Lung Health News, Fall 2002 / Winter 2003
Lucy Chaidez has such severe asthma she can only work part-time. But the time she does spend working at the Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) keeps her going because she knows she’s helping children with asthma get the care they need.
"Sometimes when I’m really struggling with my asthma, it helps knowing I’m helping others who suffer the same way I suffer every day," Chaidez says.
EMSA is the state agency responsible for ensuring that childcare workers are properly trained in first aid and CPR. Ever since legislation (SB 1663) was passed in 1998 mandating it, that training includes a section on nebulizers and inhalers, which are used to administer asthma medications. SB 1663 was sponsored by the American Lung Association of California and its medical section, the California Thoracic Society.
EMSA approves the training curricula for the 40 agencies statewide that train childcare workers. After the legislation passed, it became Chaidez’ job to make sure those agencies use good curricula for the inhaler and nebulizer portion of the trainings.
Chaidez worked closely with the California Thoracic Society to develop the curriculum. It includes information about following a respiratory care plan, what to do when a child has an asthma attack, asthma medications and their side effects, and the proper use, care and cleaning of nebulizers and inhalers.
Asthma Interferes with Her Life
Chaidez, 43, says asthma interferes with her life on a daily basis. She must take asthma medications daily, including nebulizer treatments, and can barely walk around the block without becoming breathless. In February, her in-laws are paying for the entire family to take a cruise, but she won’t be joining them because she is concerned about the emergency medical services onboard.
"My asthma has been real bad lately," she says. "I hope someday they can come up with a cure so I can breathe easier."
After years of chronic illness, Chaidez was finally diagnosed with asthma at age 15. She had to be hospitalized after nearly dying and finally a doctor there recognized her symptoms.
Her asthma symptoms subsided when she was in her twenties. But in 1990, she moved to Sacramento and since then her asthma has been severe. "The last 12 years have not been easy," she says. "I can’t do all the things I used to do."
Education Helps Children with Asthma
Chaidez believes children with asthma today are better off than she was as a child because there is more public awareness about the lung disease. Making life easier for children with asthma is what drives her.
EMSA will soon release a video that will be used in conjunction with the nebulizer and inhaler curriculum. It will actually demonstrate how to use the equipment, which should help childcare workers become even better prepared to care for children with asthma.
"I had suffered for a long time with an illness that was obviously asthma," she says. "The more people know, the better they will be able to take care of children."
