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Meet Kym
Kym ended up in intensive care with asthma, after being triggered by a virus.
“I think people often underestimate their asthma, so I joined the Asthma Australia Consumer Advisory Council to make asthma education a priority”.
Kym has had mild asthma since she was a child, but it wasn’t until a virus triggered her asthma as an adult that it worsened considerably.
Despite being very unwell with asthma, and ending up in intensive care, Kym felt like her asthma still wasn’t being taken seriously by her doctors.
It was at this point that Kym spoke to an Asthma Australia Asthma Educator for the first time. This one phone call not only helped Kym to better manage her asthma alongside her doctor, but also ignited a passion in her to make sure as many people were educated about asthma as possible.
She trained as a volunteer Asthma Educator and arranged for Asthma Australia to visit her local Community Centre to provide a free community education session, spreading the word to her local school, preschool and mothers’ groups.
Kym’s asthma remained controlled until she moved to Canberra, where she caught another virus that triggered a second major asthma attack that sent her back to hospital.
As part of her treatment Kym has had many doses of oral corticosteroids in her life as a rescue medication when having a severe asthma flare-up, she has also suffered from bone fractures since which her doctors have linked to her steroid use.
While Kym works diligently to keep her asthma well controlled, she remains acutely aware of how serious the condition can be and the barriers many people face in managing it. This lived experience makes her contribution to Asthma Australia’s Consumer Advisory Council invaluable.
Help people living with asthma breathe easier
Our Consumer Advisory Council members share their lived experience to help improve support for people with asthma. Your donation helps Asthma Australia provide information, support and advocacy for the nearly 2.8 million Australians living with asthma.
