Help Gabriella raise money

Early this past February, huddled in a tiny exam room with my boyfriend Pete, I listened to a pulmonologist confirm the one thing I’d hoped he wouldn't say. “I think you have asthma,” Dr. Shah told me. My heart sank. Unable to focus on the doctor’s explanation, I instinctively reached behind me to grab Pete’s hand and give it a long squeeze. I didn’t need to turn and look in his eyes to know the pain and fear I’d find staring back at me. 

It’s not like anyone wants to find out that they have asthma. But I’d spent months hoping it was anything else. I had noticed my runs getting progressively tougher with each outing since the previous summer. Gasping and coughing, I was forced to slow to a walk over and over again. No matter how strong the rest of my body felt, I just couldn’t get enough air.

It scared me, and not just because I felt so short of breath. I worried that if this was asthma, as I thought it might be, it would crush Pete all over again. Before we met, Pete lost his wife Laura to an asthma attack in 2016. The last thing I wanted to have was asthma. It seemed such a cruel coincidence. 

At first I hid my new inhalers and only used them out of Pete’s sight. Any time I pushed down on an inhaler, I felt like I was prodding at his grief. Every concerned expression I saw flash across his face broke my heart. I kept momentary feelings of chest tightness to myself. And I downplayed flares and waved off his questions about coughing jags.

But always the keen and caring observer, Pete soon pulled me into one of his epic hugs and said, “It’s okay to use your inhalers around me. I need to know how you are.” He’s helped me understand just how important it is if you have asthma to tell someone any time you are feeling symptoms.

Over the past six months, with his support, I’ve learned to live and exercise with asthma. I let Pete know when I'm struggling, and I no longer hesitate to reach for an inhaler in front of him if I need it. We keep an eye on triggers like poor air quality, smoke, heat, and stress that I’ve noticed can worsen my breathing. 

Running was my tip-off that I might have asthma. Fortunately, my asthma seems well controlled by medication. I’ve made it my routine to prep for every run with a preventative puff from my inhaler. 

These days, I feel ever stronger and more in control of my breathing when I run. Pete and I continue to hike and run together, swapping pace stats and cheering each other on as we get in our weekly miles. And now he’ll be running alongside me as I take on my first road race.

Our team at this year’s Falmouth Road Race is raising funds for the New England chapter of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. I hope you’ll consider donating to our team here on my page or over on Pete’s page to support AAFANE. Their work is so important, especially in a state like Massachusetts that has one of the highest rates of asthma in the U.S. 

Remember that you can develop asthma at any age—not just as a kid. Six percent of adult men and nearly 10 percent of adult women have asthma, and it can be incredibly dangerous, as Laura’s story shows. If you’ve been having trouble breathing well and you think you might have asthma, get tested and get treatment. And remind your friends and loved ones who have asthma about peak week, which is just around the corner. Peak week is the third week of September, and it's usually when we see the highest concentration of asthma attacks all year.

Pete regularly speaks out about the lesser-known dangers of asthma. And I’m so proud of his ongoing advocacy and policy efforts amidst his grief to improve hospital access and the emergency system. Because of his vital, tireless work, everyone in our state has a better chance today of getting the rapid attention you desperately need in a medical emergency. 

On August 20th in Falmouth, I’m running to keep pushing myself. I’m running to honor Laura. I’ll be thinking of her that day, as I often do when I run. And most importantly, Pete and I are running this race together—a testament to how far we've both come this year learning to run with my asthma.

Thank you for your support.