Joanna - Asthma Ambassador: "Nothing Else Matters when you can't breathe"

Would you be shocked to know that 80 Kiwis die from asthma every year?

I was and that is why I have become an ambassador for Asthma NZ.

Over the next 5-months I will be working with Asthma NZ to raise awareness, understanding and money so we can reduce this number.

I was horrified to know that Asthma costs NZ over $1 billion dollars every year. Imagine what we could do with that money if asthma wasn’t the problem it currently is.

Our goal is to reduce asthma hospitalisation by 50% by 2029. We have plenty of time if we all help out.

I will be asking for your help on this journey. The more people understand about asthma the better we will all breathe.

A bit about me:

I am a 46 year old Mum of 4 children 2 boys 2 girls. As a family we love checking out different bush

walks in our region, or going to Whangamata for family time.

I have chosen to be involved in this project because as a teenager I did not know I had symptoms of

asthma and did not know much about it. I had some scary moments of not being able to breathe and had no idea it could have been prevented. Once we saw our family Dr and I was diagnosed with asthma I was able to work towards a plan on keeping my asthma more manageable.

I hope that raising awareness and funds during this project will help to educate others and encourage them to seek help and learn more about their journey with asthma.

Asthma Waikato have been a great support to us with our son, helping with an Asthma Plan so that not only us but others that help care for him, are well informed on how to manage his attacks. Our son has special needs so can not always communicate how he is feeling/managing.

I am very excited to be a part of this project and I hope we have a lot of support from our communities.