Asthma put Jasmine in hospital at Christmas – she felt like she was suffocating

It should have been an amazing Christmas for Jasmine.

Jasmine and her husband Pete had just brought their newborn twins Leo and Eliza, home and they were looking forward to spending Christmas together, along with their son Charlie.

But two days before Christmas, Jasmine had a terrifying asthma attack. It came on quickly. She felt like she was suffocating – like she could die.

“When Pete said he was calling an ambulance for me, I cried and said ‘no’. I didn’t want to be away from my babies.”

At hospital, Jasmine was put in isolation. Doctors gave her oxygen, a fast-acting reliever medicine, antibiotics and steroids to bring her asthma under control.

By Christmas Eve, Jasmine’s asthma had barely improved. Waking up alone in hospital the next morning was the saddest moment yet. It felt so unfair.

Jasmine should have been cuddling her babies, taking Charlie for a ride on his new trike and enjoying a Christmas roast with family. But instead, she was sick in hospital, in isolation – recovering from her asthma attack and pneumonia.

This year, more than 100 Australians will spend Christmas Day in hospital due to asthma. But we know that about 80% of asthma hospital admissions can be avoided.

By making a donation, you will help provide life-saving asthma education to help keep people like Jasmine out of hospital this Christmas.

With your kind gift, we can ensure everyone can access an Asthma Educator by phoning our free 1800 ASTHMA information line. There they can ask questions and receive possibly life-saving personalised asthma information.

Asthma Australia would like to thank Jasmine for sharing her story as a part of the Asthma Champion Program. Thank you for being a voice for people with asthma. 

Do you have a story to tell? Become an Asthma Champion.