The Issue

People with asthma have sensitive airways in their lungs.  When exposed to certain 'triggers' their airways narrow, making it hard, or sometimes extremely difficult for them to breathe.

Asthma is one Australia’s most common diseases. One in nine children and one in 10 adults have asthma.

Each year almost 400 people die from asthma and many of these deaths are avoidable.

Asthma is the major cause of children and young people missing valuable school time. At the same time, asthma is a leading reason why children are admitted to hospital in an emergency.

Amongst adults, asthma is a major cause of workplace illness. Many older people have untreated or unmanaged asthma and their quality of life is greatly diminished.

Solutions

Yet, thanks to better education, training, management and research much has been down over the past 30 years to lessen the impact of asthma. Deaths from asthma have been halved.

None of this would be possible without the generosity of people who have left a gift in their will to The Asthma Foundation of Victoria. Thanks to support from generous individuals, The Foundation has come a long way. Imagine how much more The Foundation can achieve in the future with a gift in your will. Well, a bequest to The Asthma Foundation of Victoria will do just that.

“I want my son to grow up reaching his full potential. Thanks to the help I have received from The Asthma Foundation of Victoria I now know how to safely react when Ryan has an asthma attack.” Janine Ceola, mother of Ryan, aged 3.

Ryan is just one or more than 600,000 Victorians have asthma and related conditions. These range from infants, to older people. Sadly, each year almost 400 Australians die from asthma.

Tragically, most of these deaths are avoidable. Currently, there is no cure.

The human toll from asthma is immeasurable. Children loss valuable schooling, asthma is a major cause of hospitalisation and work place absence.

Many older people have a diminished quality of life due to asthma, which is often untreated or not diagnosed.

Your bequest will help children, adults and older people by enabling The Foundation to maintain and expand valuable services such as information, education, training and resources. Your gift of a bequest will also fund research helping us find a cure.

You might want to leave a generous bequest to The Foundation in memory of a loved one, perhaps someone directly impacted by asthma.

After you have met the needs of your family and those closest to you, your gift in a bequest to The Foundation can be a lasting legacy to your concern for Victorians with asthma.

Everyone should have an up to date will; otherwise you have no say over what happens to your estate.