The Struggle to Breathe

Asthma in the lives of two young children

Every day thousands of children in California suffer with asthma, whether on school playgrounds in Fresno, baseball fields in Rancho Cucamonga or parks in Santa Ana. Affecting roughly one in ten children in the state, asthma results in a tightening of the bronchial tubes that makes it difficult to breathe — so much so, that asthma is the number one reason California’s children miss school.

Four-year-old Jonathan, pictured at right, and his two-year-old brother Charlie Kao can tell you about living with asthma in Long Beach, near the nation’s largest port complex and diesel truck-filled I-710 freeway. At age two, Jonathan was diagnosed with asthma after he had been coughing and wheezing uncontrollably. His parents were dismayed because no one in their family had ever been diagnosed with the disease. Though they can’t be certain, Mr. Kao suspects that diesel pollution in the area has caused his children’s disease.

Having asthma while living alongside sources of toxic pollution means Jonathan and Charlie can’t always play outside like other kids – something that’s hard for them to understand. In addition, his asthma has meant sleepless nights for Jonathan’s parents while they anxiously sit in hospital waiting rooms. It’s fortunate the Kaos have insurance because just the monthly cost for their children’s medication is about $120.

While the Kaos know a first step to managing asthma is reducing exposure to triggers inside and outside the home, for the millions of children like Jonathan and Charlie who live in highly polluted areas, reducing the potential causes of asthma also depends on others taking action to reduce air pollution.