Having a young child with uncontrolled moderate to severe asthma felt a lot like having a newborn. I didn't get much sleep and had little time for anything other than my daughter's health. On top of that, asthma in a young child is often very, very scary.

It took a few frightening years to gain the upper hand with my child's asthma, and I can vividly remember the times we sat up doing nebulizer treatments in the middle of the night and listening to our daughter cough for hours. We didn't live near relatives back then, either, and our other daughter was a baby at the time so not much got done around our house (or anywhere else, for that matter).

If you have a friend or relative whose child is having asthma problems and constantly visiting the doctors' offices and the emergency rooms, the family could probably use your help. The same goes for families with children suffering from other chronic conditions and for adult friends or relatives with similar health issues.

This holiday season, consider making a gift of your time in the following ways:

1. Cook a meal or--better yet, several meals--the family can use during the rough times. I remember a whole lot of sandwiches during the weeks and months my older daughter flared and/or was sick constantly.

2. Offer to run errands to the grocery store or the pharmacy to pick up medicine. When an asthmatic child can't sleep, no one does. The exhaustion takes its toll, and any little chores you can eliminate will help.

3. For really close friends or for relatives, donate your housecleaning skills. One of the keys to getting asthma under control is to limit allergens and triggers in the home, but back then driving my daughter from doctor to doctor made it hard to keep the dust down. I would have loved an extra pair of hands so much more than any other gift that Christmas.

4. If the child with asthma has to limit activity because of continuous or severe flares, drop off some of your child's books or DVDs for the family to borrow. It costs you nothing and will give the kid a welcome change of pace.

5. While you're there, offer to entertain any brothers or sisters for a couple of hours at the park or the library. This gift helps everybody--the asthmatic child who requires more help when flaring, the brothers or sisters who are probably bored at home, and the parent who's feeling guilty at the inability to do 6 things at once.


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"Smile, breathe and go slowly." -Thich Nhat Hanh


This article is not written by a medical professional, and information on this page should never be substituted for your physician's advice. If you have any questions about your asthma and/or allergies, you should always contact your physician first.