"I carry an inhaler everywhere I go in the event of an asthma attack." | Lim Zhuo Yan, 17

I remember 3 years back before COVID-19 was a thing - I was very active in playing sports like badminton and swimming. I trained for at least 4 hours each day for badminton, and swimming would be 2 hours twice a week. My parents and coaches were always worried about me over-exercising, so they would advise me to take a day off for my body to recover and avoid injuries. Regardless, I was used to the intensiveness of the training, so I carried on.

One day, I had a badminton tournament, and I was looking forward to taking home that gold medal. I ate a big breakfast, hoping that I would have enough energy for the entire day. I arrived at the arena full of confidence, as I was training very hard every single day. “Court 7, Yan versus Jeremy!”, the judges said. I walked up to the court, eyes locked on my opponent as if we were about to fight.

Halfway through the match, we were having a long rally. Both of us wanted this point as it was the final point to secure the first match. Suddenly, I felt a pain in my chest and was breathing very hard but couldn’t get enough oxygen in my body. I knelt on the ground, palms on my chest. I fainted. I opened my eyes blearily, staring at the blank white ceiling. Looking around me, I noticed a huge oxygen tank with a tube leading up to the oxygen face mask I was wearing. I realised I was in the hospital. No one was in the room with me. A few hours passed by when a doctor came in accompanied by my parents and surprisingly, my coach. The doctor told me that I had an asthma attack, but that it was a minor one.

Asthma isn’t something that everyone can overcome and fight. To protect myself, I carry an inhaler everywhere I go in the event of an asthma attack. Let us all take care of our bodies and keep ourselves healthy and free from any sort of illness. After all, isn’t health our main priority as a human?

Real Life Asthma Stories Booklet

This asthma life story is part of a booklet of stories created for community engagement in Malaysia. Read all the stories in the booklet produced by the University of Malaya and Universiti Putra Malaysia, RESPIRE partner organisations in Malaysia.