Special thank you to our sponsor of this article. Although I was compensated by Sanofi and
Regeneron for this post, all opinions are my own.
I’ll never forget the Thanksgiving Day that my son had his first asthma attack. My family and I
were gathered at my parents’ home and he began to struggle breathing and I remember yelling out to my brother {who is a doctor, thankfully!} and my husband for help.
As soon as they saw him, my brother said, “GET IN THE CAR!”
You can imagine the drive to the hospital and the feelings that overcame me as we carried our boy inside.
A few days later, we received the diagnosis: moderate asthma.
This was the beginning of a journey I had never imagined for my son before this moment. I knew it wouldn’t be easy but it was so important to me to help him grow up and experience the activities he loves. I made it my mission to figure out a way to do it while keeping his moderate asthma under control.
That includes ensuring I’m always mindful of Hunter’s involvement in sports, something he’s ALWAYS loved. Put a ball in front of my boy and he will make a game out of it! He played soccer starting at age three and would need to take breaks because he would have trouble breathing with too much activity outside. I remember during one game, I held him in my lap, and wondered what his future would look like – would he face limitations in participating in the activities he loved?
As he grew older and started to show interest in basketball, he frequently would have to take breaks so he would not have an asthma attack. Like Hunter, some people living with moderate-to-severe asthma may experience wheezing and difficulty breathing, putting them at risk of asthma attacks that may require emergency room visits or hospitalizations. I know how important it is to be proactive about his health, and it’s even more empowering to find a community of other parents who can relate to the challenges we’ve faced with Hunter’s diagnosis. For that reason (and many others) I’ve decided to participate in the LungZone
program from Sanofi and Regeneron to help shed light on the “a-ha” moments that caretakers of kids living with moderate-to-severe asthma experience – moments that have empowered all of us to get the tools and resources to help our kids achieve better asthma control.
After all that we’ve been through, I’m so proud of how knowledgeable Hunter is about his diagnosis. It’s been such a blessing to have an asthma management plan in place, and one that Hunter understands, so my sweet boy feels like he has better control of his moderate asthma when playing his favorite sports! It makes me so happy to see him participating! At the age of six, he is familiar with his triggers and knows what could prompt an asthma attack. Now, with the right precautions, he’s able to participate more in the activities he loves, like playing basketball.
With days like today at the park, I’ve been reminded how valuable it is to have a plan that helps us proactively manage Hunter’s moderate asthma. It also always helps to hear from others and their experience with moderate-to-severe asthma. Click to learn about other patients and how they manage their symptoms.
For people living with, or caring for, someone with uncontrolled asthma, it’s important to talk to your doctor about treatment options! One option for those with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe asthma is DUPIXENT® (dupilumab). While Hunter is not currently taking DUPIXENT®, it’s an add-on medication for adults and children 6 years and older with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe eosinophilic or oral steroid dependent asthma that can help improve lung function and help prevent severe asthma attacks.
In clinical trials, DUPIXENT® was shown to help prevent severe asthma attacks and can reduce or eliminate the need for oral steroids, in some patients. The most common side effects in patients with asthma include injection site reactions, high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia), pain in the throat (oropharyngeal pain), and parasitic (helminth) infections.
Please continue reading for additional Important Safety Information and Patient Information.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION & INDICATION
Do not use if you are allergic to dupilumab or to any of the ingredients in DUPIXENT®.
Before using DUPIXENT, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:
• have a parasitic (helminth) infection
• are scheduled to receive any vaccinations. You should not receive a “live vaccine” right before and during treatment with DUPIXENT.
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether DUPIXENT will harm your unborn baby.
o A pregnancy registry for women who take DUPIXENT during pregnancy collects
information about the health of you and your baby. To enroll or get more information call 1-877-311-8972 or go to https://mothertobaby.org/ongoing-study/dupixent/.
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known whether DUPIXENT passes into your breast milk.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Especially tell your healthcare provider if you are taking oral, topical, or inhaled corticosteroid medicines or use an asthma medicine. Do not change or stop your corticosteroid medicine or other asthma medicine without talking to your healthcare provider. This may cause other symptoms that were controlled by the corticosteroid medicine or other asthma medicine to come back.
DUPIXENT can cause serious side effects, including:
• Allergic reactions. DUPIXENT can cause allergic reactions that can sometimes be severe. Stop using DUPIXENT and tell your healthcare provider or get emergency help right away if you get any of the following signs or symptoms: breathing problems or wheezing, swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue, or throat, fainting, dizziness, feeling lightheaded, fast pulse, fever, hives, joint pain, general ill feeling, itching, skin rash, swollen lymph nodes, nausea or vomiting, or cramps in your stomach-area.
• Inflammation of your blood vessels. Rarely, this can happen in people with asthma who receive DUPIXENT. This may happen in people who also take a steroid medicine by mouth that is being stopped or the dose is being lowered. It is not known whether this is caused by DUPIXENT. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have: rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, a feeling of pins and needles or numbness of your arms or legs, or persistent fever.
• Joint aches and pain. Some people who use DUPIXENT have had trouble walking or moving due to their joint symptoms, and in some cases needed to be hospitalized. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or worsening joint symptoms. Your healthcare provider may stop DUPIXENT if you develop joint symptoms.
The most common side effects in patients with asthma include injection site reactions, high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia), pain in the throat (oropharyngeal pain), and parasitic (helminth) infections.
Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of DUPIXENT. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit http://www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Use DUPIXENT exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider. It’s an injection given under the skin (subcutaneous injection). Your healthcare provider will decide if you or your caregiver can inject DUPIXENT. Do not try to prepare and inject DUPIXENT until you or your caregiver have been trained by your healthcare provider. In children 12 years of age and older, it’s recommended DUPIXENT be administered by or under supervision of an adult. In children 6 to less than 12 years of age, DUPIXENT should be given by a caregiver.
Please see accompanying full Prescribing Information including Patient Information.
INDICATION
DUPIXENT is a prescription medicine used with other asthma medicines for the maintenance treatment of moderate-to-severe eosinophilic or oral steroid dependent asthma in adults and children 6 years of age and older whose asthma is not controlled with their current asthma medicines. DUPIXENT helps prevent severe asthma attacks (exacerbations) and can improve your breathing. DUPIXENT may also help reduce the amount of oral corticosteroids you need while preventing severe asthma attacks and improving your breathing. DUPIXENT is not used to treat sudden breathing problems. It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with asthma under 6 years of age.
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Danielle is the owner of Today's the Best Day. She strives to provide creative and uplifting content in order to enrich the parenting experience for women everywhere. Danielle hopes to help you and your family to make every day the best day! 
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