Felicity
Aged 6 with severe Asthma

When their baby daughter was diagnosed as an asthmatic, Felicity's parents had several traumatic years ahead of them. After some problems with wheezing, Felicity spent two days in hospital with a serious asthma Attack, and had another severe attack a month later. Her parents were shown how to give her a preventative drug four times a day, as well as the reliever Duovent, all the medication was administered via nebuliser, as she was too young for inhalers.

At 2 years of age Felicity had another attack, and again ended up in hospital. This time her condition was controlled only after being given large doses of steroids. It was at that time Duovent, the reliever Felicity had been using for nearly a year, was withdrawn from the market because it was thought to cause heart problems. Ventolin was prescribed for her to replace the Duovent.

Some time later Felicity had grown into a placid little girl with dark rings under her eyes and very little energy. She stumbled and often fell, and had so many bruises that her parents felt embarrassed n case other people thought they were abusing her. Mandee, mother of Felicity said, "I had never had anything to do with asthma before, and Felicity's attacks scared us all, I would wake up in the morning and wonder if she was still alive. Our lives were governed by Felicity's asthma".

By Felicity's sixth birthday, her condition was controlled, but she did not lead a normal child's life. The constant threat of a severe asthma attack, meant she was unable to participate in many activities. At this time, her mother enrolled Felicity in a Buteyko course, even though Mandee was sceptical about the technique, she was becoming desperate and ready to try anything that might help. Her doubts were soon removed, when, during the course she watched her daughter's condition improve, slowly at first, and then rapidly after a few days of the exercises. Mandee comments:-

"It was like a miracle, the exercises were so simple but we both had to work hard, and be dedicated to make them succeed. We found that she was so dedicated to the new technique that soon she wasn't having any attacks at all. Part way through the course was the last time she needed any reliever for a long time. The constant night coughing stopped and for the first time in her life, Felicity was able to sleep through the night. She no longer snored either! She was so much happier, and gradually, her energy levels rose.

"Felicity's family doctor was supportive about her trying the technique. "He knew that I took a responsible attitude with Felicity's medication and felt that we had nothing to lose," Mandee recalls. "He suggested we give it a go, and if it worked, all well and good".

The enormous improvement in Felicity's health far exceeded everybody's expectations. Within six months, and with her doctors blessing, Felicity was off all medication, using only the reliever when she suffered colds and flu. Felicity's face regained its normal shape, the black rings that had always been under her eyes disappeared, and the bruising faded. "I just cannot emphasise enough how much she has improved," says Mandee. "It was like having a different person in the house, a new child".

The next eighteen months saw Felicity enjoy the best health of her entire life. For three months she continued with the program of breathing exercises learned at the course, and if she felt wheezy or tight chested, she would return to the more intense sets of exercises that she had learned initially. Her health was so much better at the end of this time that the regular exercises gradually tailed off, and she would only do them when she felt the need. Approximately six years after learning Buteyko, Felicity is a normal, healthy, bright child without any major health problems.