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Just For Kids: Topping the Charts with Asthma: How Coolio Manages his Asthma Coolio answers your asthma questions:
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Patients & Consumers Just For Kids: Topping the Charts with Asthma: How Coolio Manages his Asthma
Coolio, the multi-talented Grammy Award winning and multi-platinum selling artist, composer and actor, has had asthma since he was a child. But he didn't let it keep him back. He is one of the most popular and successful rappers worldwide. To date, Coolio has sold more than 18 million records worldwide and has performed in concerts to adoring fans in Africa, Israel, Russia, Brazil, Australia, Turkey and Europe. In the diversified hip-hop industry, Coolio is one of the few rap artists who has garnered mainstream success and critical acclaim.
Coolio answers your asthma questions:
When did you realize you had asthma? "When I was a little kid. I don’t remember not having asthma. Asthma was a stress- induced thing for me. And it was an every day thing. It was something I lived with, but it wasn’t a big deal. I still played sports, but I would just have attacks and have to be hospitalized every now and then. I knew it wasn’t normal, but it was normal for me."
What was it like growing up with asthma? "It was hard. People in my family would tell me I couldn’t do things and kids would tease me. When I first started playing sports, coaches didn’t want to give me a chance. I had to prove myself twice as much to make the team or get to play. I just ignored the kids who teased me."
How has asthma affected you as an adult? "About 12 years ago, I was doing really bad, getting sick all the time. I had lost control of the disease and had an episode. I couldn’t breathe and passed out in the bathroom. I woke up on the floor, and went outside and ended up pulling myself down the street to the hospital and someone picked me up along the way and gave me a ride. It was pretty scary. After that, I got super serious about taking care of myself and went to see specialists and started taking medication." "I’ve had my asthma under control for the last eight years with no emergency or hospital visits, just regular check ups. I’m taking my medications. The new medications are really a lot different from what I grew up on. The new generation of meds are amazing and they work. Today, I work out, I rap, I run around on stage, play basketball, swim, snowboard. I do everything."
What steps did you take to manage your asthma? "I take my medications every morning. If it’s going to be a high pollen count day, I take allergy pills, too. No matter how crazy my schedule gets, I always take my meds and take them with me wherever I go. It’s the first thing I do in the morning. Every couple months, I go and check in with my doc and get new meds, and I call and tell him how I’m doing, too."
As a parent of asthmatic children, what advice would you give to parents of children who suffer from asthma? "I have two asthmatic children--a boy and a girl, both teenagers. I would tell parents to take care of their children. Make sure they are taking their meds and stay on them until they get it. Eventually, they will get it. Kids don’t like to be sick either. You have to give them responsibility. I’m not around every day, so they have to watch themselves, but I pay attention to their health."
What do you think is the most important thing people need to know about asthma? "Asthma is real, and you can die from it. Get help. There is a misconception that asthma is a mental disease, but it’s physical. You need treatment and you need medication."
© 1996-2008 · All Rights Reserved · American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology
