Brandon Wood, United States
From birth until my early twenties, I suffered from severe asthma. I have been hospitalized over sixty times as a result of severe asthma episodes. Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland became my second home. The fall and spring seasons were the worst times of the year for me. I often missed group activities, couldn't play outside nor could I join in any school or recreational sports. During the spring of 2006, after almost ten years without any asthma- related hospital visits, I was admitted into the ICU after suffering from a near-death asthma episode. I was sedated and placed on a ventilator for days. After this horrifying experience, I vowed to never let asthma control or take my life. I later played high school football, recreational tennis and participated in many other activities in the upcoming years. I graduated college without only minor episodes. Now at 27 with my own apartment, working full-time and enrolled in graduate school full-time, I have gone a whole year with only taking my inhaler twice. I have even trained in Mixed Martial Arts for a year without any interruption. I've made many new friends, traveled overseas on vacation and completed missionary work in Honduras. Although I am not cured of asthma, I am no longer suffering from asthma.