It starts with wheeze
Soon, your chest feels tight
Your breathing speeds up and gets shallower
making you feel short of breath
These are common symptoms of an asthma attack
Cause when we are on top floor
always feeling so high
Don't be afraid of falling, falling
coz you know we gonna fly
In the World Championship this year, Hanyu experienced another asthma attack
Around the world more than 300 million people suffer from asthma
and around 250000 people die from it each year
But why do people get asthma?
and how can this disease be deadly?
I'd had asthma since I was 2 years old
The combination of genetic and environmental factors play a role
potentially acting during early childhood
When he was a child
If he had an asthma attack he wouldn't be able to sleep
He barely attended kindergarten because of asthma
Asthma affects the respiratory system
These airways have an inner lining called the mucosa
In people with asthma, the airways are chronically inflamed
which can make them hyper responsive to certain triggers
include tobacco smoke, pollen, dust, fragrances, exercise, cold weather, stress and even the common cold
When people with asthma are exposed to these triggers, an asthma attack or exacerbation can occur
It hurts
I can't breath
The trigger worsens inflammation
causing the mucosal lining to become more swollen and secrete more mucus
During an asthma attack, it blocks the narrowed airways making it even harder to breathe
These symptoms may make a person feel like they're running out of air
Yet counterintuitively, during an asthma attack,
the inflammation can make it harder to exhale than inhale
over time this leads to an excess of air in the lungs
a phenomenon known as hyperinflation
Sometimes, in untreated severe asthma attacks, the body can't keep up
which can lead to death from lack of oxygen
Well yes, it's painful
But for us, the athletes with asthma
we had probably gotten used to it
The thought of "competing is tough for me because of asthma"
I barely had those thoughts till now
How do we prevent these uncomfortable and potentially fatal attacks in people who have asthma?
This is where inhalers, the primary treatment for asthma come in
These medications help asthmatics both control and prevent their asthma symptoms
Inhalers transport medication along the affected airways using a liquid mist or fine powder to treat the problem at its source
There are reliever medications which treat symptoms immediately relax constricted muscles
allowing the airways to widen so more air can travel into and out of the lungs
I always carry this so I can use it whenever an asthma attack happens
As he grew older, his condition improved.
But even now, there are times when he cannot practice because of asthma
But Hanyu never use asthma as an excuse
So many challenges that he'd faced
Don't be afraid of falling coz you know we gonna fly
More earthquakes at home, even on the day he was leaving to come here to Stockholm
But his approach is brilliant
and he's choosing to stay inspired by his fans
They had so much admiration for him
such a challenging year
Somehow I just couldn't control my flow throughout the program
Of course I felt frustrated at myself but I also learnt a lot from this event
Honestly I just want to go back and restart my training
And when there's another opportunity for me to compete again, I'd like to focus on it and do well
Wearing mask daily and taking preventive medicines,
He's taking every precaution against another asthma attack
Coz we're on the top floor
Don't be afraid of falling
coz you know we gonna fly
I just hope to take care of myself, avoid injury and keep improving from there
Remember to subscribe and share. Thank you