Rachael, Mia, and William, MA
Rachael says there is nothing worse than watching your child struggle to breathe. Both of Rachael’s young children, Mia and William, suffer from asthma, and she even deals with the disease herself. Her daughter's case is more severe than her son's, and has consisted of many trips to the emergency room and endless medications. Now at age six, all Mia wants to do is have sleepovers with her friends, but Rachael finds it hard to trust that someone will know what to do if she has an attack. Rachael struggles with wanting Mia to have a great childhood and be able to play outside, while also fearing that doing so could lead to a severe attack or trouble breathing.
Rachael says that the most striking thing about dealing with asthma is the public perception that it's not a serious ailment, and that just a puff of an inhaler will restore normal breathing. It's simply not the case. Rachael is forced to play a daily game of trying to stay ahead of bad air days, and knowing when she will have to take drastic measures, like taking Mia out of the city to escape. With safeguards available that would cut down pollution levels and lead to fewer poor air days, there should be no question about what steps Congress should take to help all our kids breathe freely.
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