HBCU Students and Asthma Initiative

April Martin (00:05):

I wanted to offer the Breathe Well, Live Well program to the kids on this campus simply because one of the things that we found out in the pandemic is the amount of health disparity, and so children need to learn how to be their own best healthcare advocates.

Brinaiya (00:24):

I chose to participate in the program because my doctor back home, he just recently retired, and I know that I was going to be out here by myself, so I knew that I was going to need someone to come to help with my asthma. So I joined the program because I knew that it had something to do with what I was going through.

De'marcus (00:40):

I want to make sure I live a healthy life and not just myself, but also for other people as well. Like learning how to manage your asthma is very important to your health.

Dorothy Davis (00:48):

One of the things that we see a lot of students come in that will not bring their inhalers or their nebulizer, their medications with them. We are telling them the importance of not sharing because each inhaler is not the same. And so that's something that we have done over a period of time to try to really educate our students and campus community about the importance of their medications.

Brinaiya (01:13):

I learned a lot about my asthma that I didn't know back home, like the symptoms and the triggers. Asthma is not a disease that can go away, like you're stuck with asthma forever. For me to keep practicing the skills is going to help me control my asthma way better than if I don't.

April Martin (01:29):

Things that they learn while they're here now will follow them throughout the rest of their life. My favorite memory, I believe, would be a young lady who, she hadn't had an attack in years. And she said, "I never really planned for anything. No one told me that I always need to be ready in case something happened."

Dorothy Davis (01:52):

When they are away from home, it is so important for them to grow in their independence away from their parent or guardian.

April Martin (02:04):

Your parents are not the ones that are providing you with your medication, telling you when you need to take it, what signs you need to be aware of.

De'marcus (02:13):

I would actually highly recommend this program, not just so they can learn a little bit more about asthma, so they can also learn how to take care of themselves.

Brinaiya (02:21):

I know there's a lot of students like me on this campus who don't really have great resources. This program is really a good program to join when it comes to asthma.

Dorothy Davis (02:33):

Bring Breathe Well, Live Well to your campus today.