Risteárd Christy, Dublin
I have been told that my asthma is something that I have had from birth. My mother had lung problems and indeed was quite ill when she was pregnant with me. Unfortunately, she only survived two years after my birth and passed away at the age of 39 due to pneumonia and pleurisy. Growing up, I remember times of hell and that is the only way in which I can describe them. People ask me how my asthma is now and I tell them that it is but a fraction of the type that I had in my childhood. I remember rocking back and forth to activate my inhaler as I did not have the energy to raise it to my lips! I remember Christmas Eve 1982 and my neighbour crying and saying that "He won't last the night". Indeed I was in no form to disagree with her as I was like a fish out of water in that my chest was heaving like the Atlantic Ocean. As a child I was always protected. Indeed, those who did that meant well. However, I feel that light activity would have been a better option.
When I was 12, my grandmother who raised me passed away and I moved to the seaside to be with my father who suffered form arthritis and moved around with the aid of crutches. I feel that this move improved my asthma. I also started to play hurling and football with "the lads". I must say that my teenage years were pretty good. My only regret is that I did not play more sport. Because of being so ill during my childhood, I spent a lot of time practising sporting skills when the asthma improved and I had developed the fitness to put with the skills. After my leaving certificate, I studied at Tralee RTC and thereafter at the University of Glamorgan. Again, I must say that the only time that I suffered from asthma was during times of stress and change, e.g. on the night that I was moving away to University, I awoke feeling wheezy, but when I fell asleep and awoke again I was fine. I trained hard at university, doing weights and Tae kwon Do. On my industrial placement, I used to run to work, 6 miles to and fro each day.
Upon graduation, I went to Germany and took up bodybuilding. In my two years in Germany, I only had to the doctor once due to my asthma. However, while I trained hard and watched my diet and was in good shape, I realised that I was not doing enough aerobic training, i.e. I was strong but could have been more aerobically fit. For example, I lost fat but put on 2 stone due to bodybuilding, i.e. waist size went down but weight scales went up! I enjoyed bodybuilding but perhaps should have done more aerobic exercise.
The next time I got an asthma attack was the night that my dad passed away. As I had been well for so long, I had to borrow an inhaler from my sister-in-law! Between 1996 and 1998, I did some cycling. Between 1998 and 2004, I only got a very small amount of exercise on an irregular basis and it would have been very light, e.g. going for a puck around with a friend or two. In 2004, I saw a poster for the Dublin City Marathon. I always wanted to do a marathon so this was my chance. I started training very slowly and built the miles up gradually. I have completed three Dublin City Marathons and the Two Oceans Half Marathon in Cape Town. My main charity is Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children as I have four little ones. I use my preventer inhaler once at night and in the morning to keep asthma at bay. I have to be careful to avoid stress, dusty environments and I was pretty pleased at the introduction of the smoking ban. All I can do is take the best care of my health that I can and hope that Mr. Asthma and I will run many more marathons together! I don't have to tell you that crossing the Marathon finishing line is pretty special as I think back to my childhood and the weeks spent in bed due to my asthma, so let's hope that I will have a long and fit life where asthma will not impede me doing what I want to do.
