Kathryn Curry

Every Breath Matters!

I have never felt more connected to a charity. My asthma is why I run marathons. I feel honored to run a marathon to help those with my limitations. I am excited to be part of the solution and hope there is a day when there is a more permanent solution for those who want to breathe like many around them. My asthma is compounded by environmental irritants. I must be mindful of where I am and what is going on around me. Is it allergy season?  Is there someone smoking? Is the room dusty? What is in my food? Does this home/hotel allow cats/dogs? Did I remember to take my inhaler and allergy medicine? What would be a small cold for others can mutate into pneumonia for me if I am not mindful of a winning defense.

As a kid, I was a runner. In high school, I ran cross country, as well as indoor and outdoor track. Distance was my specialty. Right after cross country in my senior year, I contracted a disease that lasted three weeks initially. About every other night I would be rushed to the hospital so that I could breathe…so much air around, but I could not get air into my body. When I close my eyes, I can still feel and see those moments arriving at the emergency room with my mother breathless with little energy to walk. I remember the hectic emergency room rushing around me, oxygen masks, adrenalin shots with additional medication…whatever it took. I often wondered when we would not make it to the emergency room on time. Sadly, after these three weeks, there were two more relapses. I missed another week of school and another three weeks two months later. There was no cure and eventually, I recovered. It was a very slow road back to feeling healthy after missing 35 days of school.

After that experience, in the years that followed, pneumonia became a constant issue for me. I was told I would need daily medication which I did not want and decided to try to combat my ailment with long-distance running. This helped a lot but not entirely. I have since run 20 marathons but had to walk my last one this year due to pneumonia. I know this condition is always there and I need to stay mindful to combat it the best way I can.  

This statement sums it up for me, “At Asthma + Lung UK, we believe that every breath matters - and that the right to breathe freely applies to everybody, regardless of income, age, ethnicity, gender, or background.” Please help me make this a reality!