Asthma in childhood - words of wisdom

Vladamier (has a son with asthma) - It's certainly not the end of the world. You've got a major impact on how your kid turns out. What you've got to really focus on is training your kid up to be able to live, and to make a life, with this chronic illness. Because it is a chronic illness, but it certainly can be controlled. And I know my son has proved it, and a lot of his mates have too.

Lavinia and Geoff (have two daughters with asthma) - You've got to find a good GP that will understand it properly.

Lavinia and Geoff - Don't be frightened of the medication.

Lavinia and Geoff - Yeah, don't be scared of the medication. That's probably one of the biggest things. And if you're not sure of the medication, do a background check on it. There's lots of medication there on all of the medication.

Susan (has three children with asthma) - You know your child best, and I think that if a parent understands their child's symptoms and the lead up to asthma attacks, then they are in the best position to ask the appropriate questions. Don't let anyone deflect you from asking the questions and getting the answers you need.

Lavinia and Geoff - The minute you hear a cough, treat it. Don't wait for it to go away. They never go away. So when you're lying there at night and you're hearing it, you just know that you might as well get up and do it now because at three o'clock in the morning it's still going to be happening and you won't have slept for two hours by that stage! And to find some good support.

Marilyn (has three sons with asthma) - It's okay to feel tired. It's okay to not be sure of what's going on. It's okay to ask questions and to ask as many questions as possible. And to not be too hard on yourself, I think was something I learnt. The more I became aware of what was going on, the more confident and the more comfortable I felt. And if I can impart that onto somebody whose child has been newly diagnosed, it would give them the confidence to keep searching for questions and answers and to keep looking for the directions to understand more about their condition.

And to know that there's light at the end of the tunnel. No one told me that. I can remember when the three children were all sick with asthma, I thought I would never survive this. And to know that I have, and that you can and will, is something that I think newly diagnosed children and their parents need to know.