My testimony Part 1

Ever had a friend who was an asthma patient?

Ever been one? Or do you know anyone who is currently in that situation?

Well, if you haven't seen anyone like that, then you're in luck that you found me!!

For 15 years of my life, I battled asthma. It wasn't a nice experience, but it made me stronger.

The first 7 years were the worst though, because my parents weren't exposed and the family doctor that was treating us didn't even know it was asthma

Unlike some other asthmatic patients, mine doesn't happen instantaneously whenever I'm exposed to dust or smoke or strenuous work, as those were some of the events that can trigger what is called "an asthma attack".

Like I said, mine didn't happen instantaneously. It always liked to pile it up and then in the middle of the year, between the month of May, June and July, when the weather was usually cold here in Nigeria, it would strike! All the effects of the dust and smoke would now be seen in those months. So my parents knew when it'd always come. They used to get prepared for those times. Thank God for my parents though, in forever grateful to them.

But due to their non exposure, they didnt even know what was wrong with me and wouldn't let me go to another hospital to get diagnosed, I was always treated for high fever. It'd stop it for a day or two and then kick off again.

Needles were my companions in those times as I would be injected a lot of times. These went on for 7 years of my life.

No cure!

No proper meds!

Just needles and syrups everywhere. Its one if the things that made me lose a lot of weight. My parents are Christians, so they'd take me for prayers always but it wouldn't stop. I always spent my birthdays with needles in me as my birthday falls on the 17th day of May.

On the eight year of this suffering, my dad was fed up!

He said to me one night. He said, "Joseph, we're going to the general hospital tomorrow morning. Sleep early cause we're moving early".

The general hospital!! I had never been there before!!! I've heard stories of people that went there and seen pictures. Most of them had their legs hung on ropes or covered in bandages from head to toe. I was shivering inside. Is that what they'd do to me too? I don't wanna be wrapped up like a Christmas present from Santa Claus!!

I cried to my mum, she laughed and cheered me up. She said we were just going for consultation. I believed anything my mum told me when I was younger. She was always right to me. So I cheered up

It even made me smile, seeing it was an opportunity for me to skip school. I was excited!! General Hospital, here we come!!

At 6am the next day, we hit the road. My dad dropped off my siblings at school and off we went. It was a long journey.

Every 5 minutes I would ask my dad, " are we there yet"? He'd reply, "almost there". I eventuality gave up and slept.

" Wake up Joseph, we're here". My eyes shone bright and fear gripped me. I hated crowd. And there was a multitude of people there. I held tight to my dad's arm. We had to wait 2 hours before we were attended to. I love my sleep, so I had to sleep off again.

After two hours, we were called in by a lovely lady and into the doctor's office. My dad and the doctor spoke in length and after a while, the doctor asked me to narrate how I felt whenever the attack came.

In my mind I'm like, "I'm only 8 ma'am, do you understand baby language"?

I had to muster the courage to speak. I explained in the little way I could and she wrote something in a piece of paper and gave my dad to give a pharmacy and get a medication.

Finally the trip was over. A trip with out a snack wouldn't be a good one, so we had to make a pit stop and get snacks.

To be continued in part 2......