2008 Woodie Awards
Raising asthma awareness
Elijah Turan
Issue date: 11/27/06 Section: Entertainment
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By Elijah Turan
Collegian
A new menace is attacking the developed nations of the world. This threat claims more and more victims every year, and its effects have been swift, debilitating and deadly. This threat is asthma.
Asthma sufferers and researchers discussed the ever growing presence of asthma on campus at Lorain County Community College on Nov. 10, in hopes of increasing awareness, alleviating suffering and, possibly saving lives.
"It can be life-threatening," Harry Kestler, professor of microbiology at LCCC, said regarding asthma. "It can really, seriously be life-threatening."
"You have some major problems," Kestler continued, "You have some circulatory and respiratory shut-downs. That goes on, and some tissue gets some swelling. Asthma is an allergy, and an allergy means that it's an inappropriate immune response. It's not something that you would want or expect."
For most people, the immune system is a very beneficial thing. It protects against viruses, bacteria and numerous other pathogens. Without the immune system, the human race would perish. But for a certain segment of the population, the immune system itself is deadly. In the case of asthma and other allergies, the immune system mistakenly responds to otherwise harmless triggers as if they are invading pathogens. Those triggers can include pollen, dander, smoke and even the human body itself.
An asthma sufferer can develop the symptoms of a respiratory infection just from inhaling cat hair. An asthma sufferer can go into cardiac arrest after exposure to cigarette smoke.
"It is very scary," Judith DeMarino, director of the LCCC Asthma Support Group, said. "You don't look like you have anything wrong. People don't understand what you're going through because you look ok."
But, although someone having an asthma attack may look ok, they may have lost the ability to process oxygen.
Suffering from asthma herself, DeMarino formed the LCCC Asthma Support Group in hopes of helping non-sufferers understand the disease. After a trip to the hospital, DeMarino said she wanted her family to more fully understand her condition. This prompted her to work with local medical personnel to form the group.
Collegian
A new menace is attacking the developed nations of the world. This threat claims more and more victims every year, and its effects have been swift, debilitating and deadly. This threat is asthma.
Asthma sufferers and researchers discussed the ever growing presence of asthma on campus at Lorain County Community College on Nov. 10, in hopes of increasing awareness, alleviating suffering and, possibly saving lives.
"It can be life-threatening," Harry Kestler, professor of microbiology at LCCC, said regarding asthma. "It can really, seriously be life-threatening."
"You have some major problems," Kestler continued, "You have some circulatory and respiratory shut-downs. That goes on, and some tissue gets some swelling. Asthma is an allergy, and an allergy means that it's an inappropriate immune response. It's not something that you would want or expect."
For most people, the immune system is a very beneficial thing. It protects against viruses, bacteria and numerous other pathogens. Without the immune system, the human race would perish. But for a certain segment of the population, the immune system itself is deadly. In the case of asthma and other allergies, the immune system mistakenly responds to otherwise harmless triggers as if they are invading pathogens. Those triggers can include pollen, dander, smoke and even the human body itself.
An asthma sufferer can develop the symptoms of a respiratory infection just from inhaling cat hair. An asthma sufferer can go into cardiac arrest after exposure to cigarette smoke.
"It is very scary," Judith DeMarino, director of the LCCC Asthma Support Group, said. "You don't look like you have anything wrong. People don't understand what you're going through because you look ok."
But, although someone having an asthma attack may look ok, they may have lost the ability to process oxygen.
Suffering from asthma herself, DeMarino formed the LCCC Asthma Support Group in hopes of helping non-sufferers understand the disease. After a trip to the hospital, DeMarino said she wanted her family to more fully understand her condition. This prompted her to work with local medical personnel to form the group.
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