Education, support, advocacy, and research are vital to improving health outcomes for people with asthma, allergies, and related conditions.

For 70 years, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has served as a trusted ally for the asthma and allergy community. With your support and engagement, AAFA:

• Advocates for public policies that ensure people with asthma and allergies have high-quality health care, access to treatment options, and live in healthy environments.
• Conducts and supports research that puts patients’ needs first.
• Connects people to financial, social, and emotional support.
• And helps save lives through health education programs.

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Today, we are honored to share the inspiring stories of individuals whose lives have been changed because of their involvement with us.

Building Confidence: Lisa’s Experience with Community Support

Lisa joined the AAFA support community when her asthma was not under control to help her learn more about her disease and how to manage it. What she gained from joining the community was a safe place to learn and connect with others for emotional, social, and financial support.

“What’s great about the community is it welcomes all comers, regardless of how long they’ve had the disease, the questions they need answers to, how well their condition is controlled…It also welcomes families and caregivers.

Together we are stronger, more informed, and better equipped to gain control of our asthma and make it a conquerable illness that we live with, not something that defines us nor limits what we can do.”

Championing Change: Jodi’s Journey to Self-Empowerment

Jodi became an advocate after her son had a severe asthma attack at a young age. She hopes to bring the community’s voice into critical policy issues and raise support and attention to an important cause.

“Through my advocacy efforts for AAFA, I found purpose and a renewed sense of empowerment, not to mention the invaluable support of a community that understood the challenges firsthand. Whether it’s connecting a parent with educational resources or raising money and awareness for more asthma and allergy research.

Advocacy - at its heart - is a simple commitment to bringing support and attention to a cause or set of values. Sometimes just shining a light on your own story and handing the light off to the next person is the most powerful thing we can do.”

Empowering Wellness: Nacho’s Experience with Informed Decision-Making

Leo, “Nacho” was hospitalized at the age of 6 due to a severe asthma attack. Ever since he had frequent trips to the hospital, mostly during the spring and fall seasons. After he received an eosinophilic asthma diagnosis, he and his mom went to the AAFA website to see what information they could find to help manage his asthma. Nacho uses AAFA’s educational resources, and the treatment plan he developed with his doctor to manage his asthma so he can play his favorite sport.

“As I grew older, mom and I went to the website a lot to learn about the newest insights on the root cause of my illness as well as new treatments and “tricks” to manage it better. I realized how important that information is because the more I knew, the better my management was, the greater I felt. I’m not a sick kid. I’m a kid with a sickness.

Knowledge is power and I believe that it’s the timely source of the newest and best information AAFA shared - along with the support of a very empowering specialist - that I can play soccer, a sport the doctors in Denver said I would likely never play. Without science and educational resources that bolster my asthma management, I would be telling a very different story.”

Fostering Better Health: Abbey’s Reflections on the Power of the Patient Voice in Research

Abbey manages asthma, multiple food and environmental allergies, and eosinophilic esophagitis for herself and her family. She comes to AAFA for the tools they need to manage their conditions today and build a brighter tomorrow through engagement in research.

“My children and I have participated in several patient impact studies conducted by AAFA and KFA and can attest to their thoroughness and excellence. Not only were we given the opportunity to share our concerns and fears, but we were also able to read the final reports and see how many others have similar feelings and experiences…

My sons feel more confident in their future medical care because of these programs and studies. We are hopeful, too, that the future will bring innovative treatments that not only improve their health but their lives.”

These testimonials show the transformative power of research, education, support, and advocacy.

Together, let's build a world where research leads to understanding, education and support foster confidence, and advocacy brings about the change we all aspire to see.