Harry’s story – why my asthma is no longer ‘holding me back’

A Sheffield teenager who was ‘holding back’ whilst playing sport due to severe asthma is now back doing what he loves, after teams at Sheffield Children’s supported him to get his condition under control.   

For years, Harry has avoided competing in his favourite sports to his full ability for fear of experiencing a severe asthma attack. After taking part in any form of physical activity, his chest would go tight, and his throat would become sore. This left Harry feeling overtired, and unable to live the healthy active lifestyle that his hobbies demand. 

Now, after the support of Dr Hemant Kulkarni and the Sheffield Children’s asthma team, Harry’s fears have all but vanished. He spent the summer riding his bike, playing cricket and having fun with his friends. 

Dr Kulkarni, Consultant in Paediatric Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at Sheffield Children’s, said: 

“Harry and his family have approached their care journeys in an extremely positive way and he’ll soon be discharged to his GP with the tools to continue to manage his condition. 

“It is great to see that he has been able to get back to doing the things that he enjoys.” 

Harry first visited Sheffield Children’s when he was just ten months old, after experiencing laboured breathing when returning from a family holiday. Harry was a regular visitor to GP surgeries as a child, with medical professionals being unable to pinpoint the exact cause of his regular chest-based illnesses. Whilst he was tested for asthma, Harry and his family were initially told that he did not have the condition. 

Then, one day in June 2021, Harry experienced an asthma attack at a school cricket game, becoming tight chested and wheezy. After visiting his local hospital, he was discharged to his GP, who ran a number of tests to pinpoint the cause of his condition. 

Harry said: “I started holding back when playing football and cricket after that because I didn’t want to feel tight chested. It got to a point where I’d need to have a long nap afterwards because I’d get so tired. Dog walks were difficult too – I couldn’t be out for very long before stopping.” 

Rebecca, Harry’s mum added: “We have a history of asthma in our family, I actually lost my cousin at just 29 years old. People maybe don’t know just how serious asthma can be until you have firsthand experience of how fast things can escalate.” 

After years of struggling to control his asthma, Harry was referred back to Sheffield Children’s for further tests. This is where Harry and his family met Dr Kulkarni and members of the respiratory team at Sheffield Children’s. The team is made up of specialist asthma nurses and respiratory physiologists who deliver outstanding care for the children and young people that they see, empowering them to understand, manage and live well with asthma and complex respiratory conditions. 

Rebecca said: “Before we arrived at Sheffield Children’s, nobody we’d seen could get Harry’s breathing under control. Dr Kulkarni was just so welcoming and has been a source of comfort throughout the entire process. He went through everything with us and talked us through every test that he wanted to run. We always felt like we knew what was going on, which was really helpful.” 

Alongside running tests and helping him use his inhaler properly, Dr Kulkarni and the team also supported Harry and his family by co-creating a bespoke asthma care plan. The existence of this plan helped put Harry’s his mind at rest by making sure he was ready to take action in a number of specific situations. 

Dr Kulkarni said: “Creating a plan is a very important part of what we do. We work closely with the child and their family to make sure that they are happy with the processes they need to follow at different points, and that they have multiple copies available in their home, at school and elsewhere too. Sometimes it can be difficult to remember what to do, so we need to make sure that there are plenty of chances to refresh the memory.” 

Based on the team’s advice, Harry and his family also kept a diary, which helped keep track of Harry’s peak flow – a measure of how quickly you can blow air out of your lungs.  

Dr Kulkarni said: “Harry’s diary helped us to see whether there was any trend of when Harry’s airways were narrowing. From this information, we were able to narrow down any sensitivities that Harry displayed. The idea was that it gave them a bit more reassurance.” 

Harry added: “Dr Kulkarni and the asthma nurses are great; their expertise is really helpful. They went out of their way to make sure that we had access to the correct treatment. They’ve been amazing. The care we’ve had has been fantastic, really good.” 

Thanks to the work of the team and Dr Kulkarni, Harry and his family now know that his asthma is strongly impacted by the presence of Timothy grass – a species of grass that is very commonly found across the UK. 

Harry said: “It felt strange that I was allergic to a really common thing. I thought it would be difficult to manage, but now I take antihistamines to take on top of my other medicines in May. We live near the countryside and do a lot of dog walking, so finding this trigger has been very helpful.” 

Now, with the support of the respiratory team at Sheffield Children’s, Harry is back doing what he loves: getting outdoors and living an active lifestyle. 

Harry said: “I’ve played a lot of cricket this summer and I’ve not felt like my asthma has held me back as much. I also love mountain biking in Grenoside Woods, and want to go and do more mountain biking in Wales too!”  

Children and young people across the country are over five times more likely to need support from a hospital following an asthma attack at the start of a new school year. If you or a member of your family has asthma, please make sure that you are engaging with the latest advice from your doctor, and that you seek advice from medical professionals before taking additional steps.  

For more information, please visit: www.asthmaandlung.org.uk