RESPIRE partner organisations in Malaysia raising public awareness of asthma The RESPIRE Malaysia Asthma Real Life Stories initiative began as a project aimed at raising public awareness about asthma. Taking inspiration from series such as Humans of New York, our Asthma Real Life Stories initiative aspired to provide a platform for patients with asthma to share their outlook with fellow Malaysians. We curated inspiring stories that can spark educational conversation and discourse amongst our readers whilst enabling them to better understand the disease in and of itself. It also provides the reader with a window of opportunity to view the disease through the lens of those who suffer from asthma, allowing them to realise certain misconceptions and truths about the disease and how it impacts the lives of those who live with it. It helps our readers realise that people with asthma are human too, with each person having their individual struggles and triumphs in managing their disease and perspective on how it impacts their lives.To achieve our vision for this project, we began gathering stories by creating promotional material such as pamphlets inviting members of the public to share their experiences with us via email. From their submissions, our team then curated the most impactful and significant stories to be included within our series. These stories then undergo a rigorous editing process and are compiled and designed into a booklet by members of our team. So far, over 11 diverse and meaningful stories have been included in our series. Ultimately, we aim to disseminate the booklet to the general public via our social media platforms. With our current efforts, we hope that this will contribute towards RESPIRE’s strive in battling the misconceptions and lack of awareness that exists in our community towards this frequently misunderstood disease.BookletAll the stories below are part of a booklet produced by the University of Malaya and Universiti Putra Malaysia, RESPIRE partner institutions in Malaysia.View the stories in the RESPIRE Malaysia Asthma Real Life Stories booklet: Document Asthma Real Life Stories - RESPIRE Malaysia (4.64 MB / PDF) Asthma Real Life stories "Physical activities help me stay well" | Sudhan Rayan, 40 Implementation Manager, Sudhan doesn’t let having asthma stop him from exercising "Correct technique of using an inhaler is so important" | Professor Su May Liew, 48 Coping mechanisms may eventually lead to more severe asthma attacks "Understanding my asthma triggers was important to me" | Nur Ain Syuhada Rohizan, 27 I like cats but I can't keep one "Asthma will not be a barrier" | Kalnish Schubert, 26 I had to prove to myself and others that asthma will not be a barrier to achieve my dreams of becoming a dancer "Always being prepared with an inhaler allows me to continue to participate in sports” | Ilia Jauharis, 24 I believe knowing your triggers and limits, having a plan, and being prepared helps to manage your symptoms and avoid attacks. "I followed an Asthma Action Plan, which was effective" | Tham Su Ming, 25 I initially thought that I had outgrown the disease "I believe keeping my symptoms under control is good enough to lead a comfortable life" | Nurin Amina Tan, 14 I began to understand that it was a medical condition I had to suffer from for the rest of my life "If you want to take part in sports, go for it!" | Darrell Pan Li Ren, 12 I discovered that I had asthma at the age of 8 in third grade "Sports help me to build stamina and train my lungs to work more efficiently." | Loo Shu Hinn, 17 The most common symptom I have is becoming breathless after coming into contact with allergens "I try not to let asthma prevent me from doing what I enjoy." | Leong Yong-Kang, 16 Today, I'm a dancer "I learned to cope with my asthma positively" | Shaena Jilaysha Perera, 15 The day I had felt most like a monster was the day I should have been the happiest. "I carry an inhaler everywhere I go in the event of an asthma attack." | Lim Zhuo Yan, 17 Asthma isn’t something that everyone can overcome and fight This article was published on 2024-09-24
