Joanna has watched her son, Kealeb, grow from a toddler using a kid’s dinosaur mask for nebulizer treatments to a strong athlete scoring points for the Lakeside High School junior varsity baseball team. It’s been a long road seeing Kealeb through asthma flare-ups and myriad allergic reactions to trees and grasses, dust mites, mold, and cats. But Joanna and Kealeb know they can count on their medical all-star team pediatrician and allergist.
“As a parent, I also did research and educated myself so I could help my child and ask informed questions of his doctors,” Joanna says. She emphasizes the role that parents, family members, and even patients themselves play in managing asthma and allergies. From going through the home and ridding allergens or allergen-trappers such as thick carpets, to noticing what makes symptoms flare up during various seasons she says the best patient is an informed one. “We’ve found it beneficial to work with our allergist, especially during winter months, so we know what to avoid at home. For example, wood-burning fireplaces can wreak havoc on Kealeb’s breathing, so we use alternative heat sources,” Joanna says.
As a single parent of three children, Kealeb, 14, Abbie, 8, and Kolton, 5 ,Joanna says it’s an immense comfort to know their allergist is there to answer questions and make life easier for the family. “Our allergist’s treatment has unquestionably resulted in a better quality of life for Kealeb,” she says.
This patient successfully found relief after seeing an allergist, but the patient’s photograph is not available to respect the patient’s privacy and identity.
Allergy, Asthma & Breathing Problems, Environmental Trigger Avoidance
