Speaker: Robert
Tell us a little bit about yourself
Robert: Good morning. My name is, Bob. I'm 72 years old. I am five years retired from the Royal Canadian Legion here in Blenheim. I, am married, I have, two grown Children and three granddaughters. My main interest is golf in the summer. I used to play a little hockey but, I got a little too old for that. So now it's just golf and I do, regular workout, at home. Try to keep my health up.
Tell us about your diagnosis
Robert: I was diagnosed with asthma at the age of six years old. Apparently I had a dose of, rheumatic fever. But, however, through the first 20 years of my life, my father smoked 2 to 3 large packs of cigarettes a day. So our home was pretty much filled with smoke. I lost an average of 50 school days a year out of 200 which obviously wasn't good and I spent a lot of time at home, ill. There was no remedies really for asthma in the fifties and sixties. And, it just carried on. And until 1968 I went to a respirologist in Toronto and I was given the testing and he offered me actually one of the first inhalers, Primatene mist. And that, that helped me tremendously. It helped a lot. And until the seventies when the, Ventolin came out and that did me well until 86 when I had a very bad asthma attack and, I almost almost died. Actually, I was in ICU for four days when they finally, got it under control. I was sent to a Respirologist in Windsor
How has your life changed since your diagnosis?
Robert: In terms of, challenges through my life and I'll go back as a child, as I say, I lost, a number of school years and, various things I couldn't do in terms of sports, I did play baseball, but I really wanted to play hockey and because of the cold chilling air, I, I couldn't play that and, certain jobs I couldn't do. So it was just, just a lot of things that you couldn't do when you couldn't breathe. Um, how my, how
How has Best Care impacted your life?
Robert: Since coming to Best Care on the first of September with my first lung function test and then subsequently being put on a cortical steroid. My breathing has improved dramatically. I will be taking another lung function test. This coming may in 2024. And hopefully it'll be that much better. But if it stay the way it was now, I'd be very happy. So it, it's Best Care I, I wish I was here 50 years ago.
Do you have a message for others about the Best Care program?
Robert: I would really like to express the importance of this Best Care program, especially in the last few years. Having heard of the number of children that have developed asthma and other lung diseases. The various medications they have now are way more than, I've previously had nothing as a kid. So this is to the politicians, to the health care industry, keep this Best Care going and fund it and expand it because ask an eight year old kid that can't breathe. It ain't fun.
