Success Stories

Giselle R.

As a musical theater major at the Chicago College of Performing Arts, 19-year-old Giselle spends her days singing, dancing and acting. Watching her perform, you might be surprised to learn that there were times Giselle could hardly catch her breath, let alone belt out a song.

Giselle suffers from severe allergic asthma. For her, exposure to a slice of birthday cake or a friend's pet is potentially deadly—and in her early childhood being sick was routine.

"She'd been hospitalized 40 times by the age of 4," Giselle's mother, Sally, recalls.

Both Giselle and her mother credit her longtime allergist—the doctor she has seen since age 2—with giving them the tools to allow Giselle to live a healthy, normal life. Instead of letting allergic asthma hold her back, when Giselle was a child her parents and allergist encouraged her to stay as active as possible. With their support and the right medical care, she participated in soccer, swimming and competitive figure skating.

Giselle manages her disease through a treatment regimen that includes allergy shots and allergic asthma medication, in addition to eating a balanced diet and getting the right amount of sleep.

Today Giselle has her disease under control. "My allergist has had a huge impact on my health and life," she says. "Ten years ago I never thought I'd be in college and living alone. It's really a miracle."

Fran H.

Fran is in control of her allergies, but that wasn't always the case.

Five years ago Fran developed a chronic cough that wouldn't respond to treatment and stumped both her and her doctor. "I just couldn't stop coughing," said Fran. "It was a dry, hacking cough that wouldn't go away no matter what I did."

For the first time in her life, things like the smell of fresh cut grass or smoke from a backyard barbecue would send Fran into a coughing or sneezing fit.

Fran's doctor suggested she make an appointment with an allergist who tested her for allergies and solved the mystery. She was diagnosed with allergies to a variety of things, including trees, grass, nuts and bees.

To begin Fran's treatment, her allergist recommended rush immunotherapy, a daylong series of allergy shots that increased Fran's tolerance to the things she was allergic to. Afterward Fran received weekly allergy shots and now visits her allergist for the shots monthly. "My allergist has made it possible for me to get back to my normal life," Fran said. "Now, when I go for a walk and someone is mowing their lawn, I don't have to go back in the house, I just keep on walking."

Cameron L.

Going to Washington, D.C., to watch Congress in action is something many 9-year-olds would find exciting. But when Cameron goes to Washington, he's not going as a tourist but as a severe food allergy sufferer who shares his experience. While there, he lobbies legislators like Sen. Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on funding for food allergy education and research as well as support for the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act. The act would guide schools across the country on how to create management and emergency plans for children with food allergies.

Cameron, a catcher for his Little League baseball team, sees an allergist to help manage his allergies to peanuts and chocolate. He also gets allergy shots to help him overcome the environmental allergies that used to leave him regularly with a runny nose, sneezing and sore throat. Seeing an allergist has made "a world of difference," says Tammy, Cameron's mom. In fact, Cameron's mom, dad and little sister Adriana all now see an allergist.

Cameron also lobbies closer to home, explaining to his friends why he has to be careful about what he eats and touches. "I have good friends who understand food allergies," he says. "They stick up for me."

Gerri R.

It took Gerri Rivers 27 years to find relief.

Despite suffering severe allergies since birth, Gerri never thought to visit an allergist. She figured her only remedy was over-the-counter medication. But then at age 27, a severe allergic reaction to latex threatened her life and derailed her plan to work in the medical field. It was finally time to see an allergist.

"I think my allergist kept me alive. I didn't think I would live," she says. "Allergists are equipped and aware of not just how to treat a reaction, but also how to teach you to live with an allergy in your day-to-day life."

Eleven years later, Gerri is successfully managing her allergies, which are triggered by many foods and just about everything in the environment from mold to ragweed. After spending years afraid to enter a grocery store full of allergy triggers, her allergist taught her how to shop without risking an allergic reaction. "My allergist really was an advocate for me," Gerri says.

An allergist also diagnosed Gerri's 12-year-old, Malik, with a latex allergy. Her 13-year-old daughter, Jazmyn, suffers from tree nut allergies. "Allergists have helped us get a handle on our allergies. Now that we are getting the right treatment, the difference in our lives is like night and day," she says.

As a mother of two children with allergies, Gerri's focus has shifted to them and serving the public as a certified asthma educator. "I'm not afraid to get out there and have fun," Gerri says. "I control my allergies; they don't control me."

Jonathon M.

There's no place Jonathon M. would rather be than on the soccer field. The 10-year-old "sleeps, eats and drinks soccer," according to his mom, Carol.

But Jonathon, the team's goalie, sometimes misses important games because of asthma, which he's had since he was a baby. That makes him very unhappy. Fortunately for Jonathon and his teammates, those missed games and practices have become fewer since he began seeing an allergist. "It's helpful working with a specialist," says Carol. "Allergists really understand how the lungs work and what medicines to use. They have so many resources to draw on."

Jonathon's asthma is triggered by things that most of us don't even notice—the smell of a scented candle in a store, a diner's cologne in a restaurant. Changes in the weather, cats, mold, pollen and dust mites also take Jonathon's breath away. Working with an allergist, Jonathon has been able to avoid his asthma triggers and learn how to use medicine to keep his disease in control. And that makes Jonathon and his teammates happy because it gets him back in the game. It also gets him back in school, where he's an honor student. That makes mom happy.

Doug L.

Asthma and allergies used to slow down 53-year-old cyclist Doug Levy. He would limit his rides depending on weather or if he felt the onset of an attack. Several close calls found him hunched over on the side of the road, unable to breathe.

All his life, Doug learned to live with his symptoms and figured he had to "tough it out." But six years ago—when he decided to compete in the grueling Race Across America (RAAM)—he finally saw an allergist.

Doug's allergist diagnosed him with exercise-induced asthma, which explained why exercising made him feel his lungs close or left him short of breath.

Doug's allergist helped him identify his triggers, which were mostly environmental, including grass, pollution, dust, goose down products and cats. Together they developed a treatment plan that allows Doug to continue cycling without problems.

Doug credits his allergist with enabling him to endure long bike rides despite high temperatures and air pollution. He quickly progressed from short rides to training for up to 14 hours a day without worry or medication.

"Before I was always thinking about my breathing," Doug says. "I would even pray for rain when I was riding because that would clear the air. Now I can go on my rides with confidence, knowing my condition is under control."

It took Doug several decades to find an allergist and find relief, but just 11 days, 4 hours and 59 minutes to complete the RAAM, cycling more than 3,000 miles across the country with few breaks. A nebulizer he brought along for emergencies went unused; it's still in its original box.