When friends have your back before you realize it!

As asthma comes in all kinds of different forms, sometimes, I forget that some of my friends with asthma actually have asthma, until I think back on conversations. I keep a pretty decent catalogue of my friends who have shared their asthma with me, but of course, it’s not the first thing I think of and sometimes my memory gets jogged. Recently, I ran into a friend I went to high school and university with in a sporting goods store. Before we were both out of the parking lot, we’d promptly set a date for coffee. Our Starbucks catch-up turned into a wander of a shopping centre, grabbing Starbucks, and jumping back into her car to go for a walk in a local park.

As we were walking through the mall, we approached Sears. We may not have gone into Sears anyways (because honestly we’re two 26 year olds and Sears is not quite our place—plus they’re kind of failing or whatever). As we approached Sears, she turned to me and said, “Let’s not go there, because yeah,” As she motioned towards the wall of perfume cases that occupy the Sears entrance. My asthma (and headaches) are definitely triggered by fragrant stuff, so this was definitely appreciated!

“Ah, yes! Good plan,” I replied.

I recalled hours later, that she also has asthma, although to my knowledge, that type of stuff doesn’t necessarily trigger her and she is more bothered by cold air and viruses—although things change. However, I’m always very thankful when people do go out of their way to help me avoid things they know bother my asthma!

As we walked towards David’s Tea, she confirmed, “Are you okay with this kind of stuff?"
“Yup, all good on tea—natural, unlike a bunch of chemicals!”

We proceeded on to Starbucks and then back to her car, where we continued on to a large park and went for a walk. The weather had improved from the pouring rain earlier in the day, although it was still a bit humid. Even though I was a bit short of breath thanks to the humidity combined with the walking, I really enjoyed our walk and talk. I’m sure she noticed but didn’t let on, which is honestly sometimes the best thing in my books. It may take me a bit longer to get a sentence out, or tell a story, but if I’m just mildly short of breath, I’d rather just keep pushing through it and enjoy myself and the company of the people I’m with! As well, we'd gone to the gym together a few times in university, and have done a couple of walking races together, so she knows that I won’t hesitate (too much!) to slow down if things aren’t going well for me.

Because everybody’s asthma is so different, it’s sometimes tough to remember how people respond to different things (or, in this case, sometimes I forget people do have asthma briefly!). Whether they have asthma or not, it’s great to have friends who understand your asthma (and remember the nuances which I was floored by!). Just another reason I try to be candid about my asthma—because there are people who’ve got my back even before I realize it!