Moment my son was fighting for his breath

Five years ago, Paul Pace, who was then seven, walked into the store room at home when his mother was clearing dusty boxes and a few minutes later he was struggling to breathe.

It’s the most terrifying experience in the world when you see that your child can’t breathe

He started panicking when air did not fill his lungs as he inhaled deeply.

His mother immediately recognised the symptoms from her childhood, when she would see her mother get asthma attacks.

“My son was coughing and panicking and crying,” said Donna Mercieca-Gabriele. “It’s the most terrifying experience in the world when you see that your child can’t breathe.”

That day she held her panicking son, now 12, and stroked him gently as she tried to calm him down to slow his breathing.

When she realised he was still struggling she immediately drove him to the nearest health centre, where he was given nebuliser inhalation treatment.

Ms Mercieca-Gabriele has a family history of asthma as her mother and various aunts and uncles suffered from the respiratory condition.

She suffers from hay fever and now her two sons have been diagnosed with asthma. Luckily, in both cases, it’s not severe.

Paul, her eldest, was diagnosed when he was seven while his nine-year-old brother, Beppe, was diagnosed earlier this year.

Before being diagnosed, she explained: “Paul used to become extremely short of breath when doing sports.

“Then one fine day, on being exposed to dust, he had the asthma attack with almost no warning. He still gets attacks when he exerts himself too much.

“Beppe had a very nasty chest infection at the beginning of the year that left him with a cough that would get worse in the mornings and evenings.

“After that, whenever he ran around he would cough – a classic asthma symptom.”

Ms Mercieca-Gabriele took Beppe for a check-up and he was diagnosed with asthma due to his family history. He has never suffered an attack.

Now both brothers take their preventative treatment twice a day every day and their paediatrician just started them on a new pill that they take once a day.

They always carry their reliever inhalers in case they get an attack.

While pollution is a reality, Ms Mercieca-Gabriele. was convinced that, with some effort, parents could take their children out to the countryside or some other place where the air was fresh.

It is important to get children running out in the open air and doing exercise, she said.

Despite the fact that her sons have asthma, Ms Mercieca-Gabriele feels it is her duty to encourage them to be active.

“When I was growing up we were taught that, if you had asthma, you were somehow disabled and not capable of doing sports.

“That has changed and the medical profession now recommends exercise to strengthen the lungs.

“Parents should ensure their children get fresh air and do sports.

“Paul can play football as much as he wants and Beppe does gymnastics.

“I’m always scared at the back of my mind, especially when I’m not there…

“What kills people with asthma is not the lack of breathing but the strain it puts on their heart.

“But I’m bringing up my children so asthma will not stop them from doing anything. I don’t let asthma stop them.

“I don’t let asthma define who they are. They are Paul and Beppe and they happen to have asthma.”

Finding help

• The Malta Asthmatics Society can be contacted on 2167 2625, 2180 6092, 2133 9779 or info@asthmamalta.org.

• The asthma clinic within Mater Dei Hospitals medical outpatients may be reached on 2545 7430/1.

• In case of an emergency, call the emergency number 112 for assistance.

• When in need of medical attention contact your personal GP or the doctor at the nearest health centre (see numbers below).

• Mosta health centre. Open 24 hours. Call 2143 3256.

• Rabat health centre. Open Monday to Friday and Sunday between 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays between 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call 2145 9082.

• Birkirkara health centre. Open Monday to Friday between 7 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. Saturday between 7 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. Sundays and public holidays closed. Call 21494960

• Floriana health centre. Open 24 hours. Call 2124 3314.

• Gżira health centre. Open daily between 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Call 2134 4766.

• Qormi health centre. Open Monday to Friday and Sunday between 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call 2148 4450.

• Paola health centre. Open 24 hours. Call 2169 1314.

• Cospicua health centre. Monday to Friday and Sunday between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. Call 2167 549

What are the tell-tale symptoms?

• A cough with no phlegm
• Shortness of breath that gets worse with exercise
• Wheezing bouts
• Coughing when exposed to cold air
• Tightness of skin between the ribs when breathing
• Persistent coughing at night or in the early morning
• Difficulty breathing out – taking twice as long as breathing in
• Rapid pulse and sweating

What can trigger an attack?

• Respiratory infections and colds
• Allergic reactions to pollen, mould, animal dander, feathers, dust and cockroaches
• Exposure to cold air or sudden temperature change
• Excitement, strong emotion and stress
• Exercise
• Over-the-counter drugs, sometimes aspirin
• Indoor pollutants such as polish
• Tobacco smoke
• Pollen in spring, summer and early fall
• Heavy rain – it can stimulate trees and grass to produce more pollen later in the season

What is an attack?

An asthma attack happens in your body’s airways. These are the paths that carry air to your lungs.

As the air moves through your lungs, the airways become smaller, just like the branches of a tree are smaller than its trunk.

When an attack happens the sides of these airways swell and the airways shrink inside.

That means that less air gets in and out of your lungs and the mucus that your body produces clogs up the airways even more.

The person having the attack will cough and wheeze, find it difficult to breathe out and experience chest tightness.