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Q & A with Asthmatic Athlete Brett Favaro (PDF)
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Asthma Can Equal Active, Burnaby Athlete Proves by Example
Burnaby, British Columbia – May 2, 2008 – We need more public, positive examples of asthmatics living full, active lives and effectively managing their chronic lung condition says the British Columbia Lung Association and more stories like that of Burnaby student Brett Favaro – a young achiever and severe asthmatic.
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22-year-old athlete and severe asthmatic Brett Favaro wants young people living with asthma to understand they are not condemned to be sick and weak through the rest of their lives. Favaro volunteers for the BC Lung Association, providing a positive, public example of an asthmatic effectively managing his condition and living a full, active life. |
"Too often, asthmatics are characterized as delicate and frail and I would like to play a part in changing that. I want people living with asthma to understand that they are not condemned by their condition to be sick and weak through the rest of their lives,” says Favaro, a 22-year-old athlete and recent Simon Fraser University graduate.
Next week marks World Asthma Day (May 6), a time to raise awareness and educate people about asthma.
Canada has one of the highest incidences of asthma in the world. One in 16 British Columbians (300,000) and three million Canadians (ten percent of Canadian children and five percent of Canadian adults) live with the chronic lung disease. Recent reports from Statistics Canada suggest the number of Canadian children being diagnosed with asthma continues to increase. The good news: fewer asthmatics are suffering severe attacks.
“We may be doing a better job of preventing severe asthma attacks, but more than half of asthma sufferers continue to struggle with getting their asthma under control, “says Kelly Ablog-Morrant, Health Education and Program Services Director for the BC Lung Association. “Stories like that of Brett Favaro are critical. They help reassure asthma sufferers and their families that while asthma is a chronic disease it can be effectively managed.”
Favaro was diagnosed with asthma a few days before his fourth birthday, “The news caused my parents great concern about my future,” says Favaro. “They didn’t know what it meant to be afflicted with the condition, and were worried that I would be unable to be active like other kids.”
“Shortly after my diagnosis my parents enrolled me in Red Cross swimming lessons. I was by no means a natural, and it took four years and countless swim lessons before I was able to swim a length of the pool unassisted,” he continued.
“There were hurdles, and even today I can remember many scary times as a child where I was struck by an asthma attack or bed-ridden by severe pneumonia. But fortunately I have an excellent doctor who developed a treatment regimen that enabled me to live an active life,” says Favaro.
By age sixteen, Favaro became a competitive swimmer at the junior national level. In university he made the varsity swim team and was team captain. He has also participated in tae kwon do, track and field, and a variety of intramural sports from indoor soccer to inner tube water polo. Today, he exercises daily, has just completed his Bachelor of Science degree, and is considering options for graduate school.
“Each asthma sufferer is unique,” continued Ablog-Morrant, “but with available medical treatments, education and support, they should be able to live a full life. It is very important that patients and their healthcare professionals discuss asthma symptoms and side effects and work out a personalized management plan which, over time, should be monitored, and adjusted as needed.”
Favaro could not agree more. “Asthma is a very serious condition that can bring even the strongest person to their knees, and it did interfere with my performance more than once – but through the support of my family, my doctor, and my many excellent coaches over the years I pulled through and continued to pursue my goals, both athletic and academic.”
Today Favaro volunteers for the BC Lung Association, lending his knowledge and experiences as a severe asthmatic to helping others manage this difficult and often debilitating condition.
For more information contact:
Katrina van Bylandt
Communications Manager, BC Lung Association
T 604.731.5864
TF 1.800.665.5864
E vanbylandt@bc.lung.ca