BREATHING EASIER

YOUNG ASTHMATICS GO TO CAMP TO LEARN
MORE ABOUT LIVING & DEALING WITH THEIR CONDITION
Driscoll Children’s Hospital presents …
3rd Annual Camp Easy Breathers
June 7-11, 2004 ? 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; daily
Del Mar College East Campus
101 Baldwin Blvd.
Corpus Christi, TX

(Corpus Christi, TX) For an entire week many children of South Texas will be able to experience the joys of being a kid while learning how to control their asthma. Asthma affects an estimated 24 million Americans, one-third of whom are children. Although there is no cure for the disease, living a healthy, active life with asthma is in fact possible. Through the efforts of the Coastal Bend Asthma Initiative and Driscoll Children's Hospital the 3rd Annual Camp Easy Breathers will take place. Camp Easy Breathers is a one- week summer day camp for children with moderate to severe asthma, is designed to provide physical and social experiences that are fun while increasing a child’s understanding of his or her asthma. The camp is open to any child with moderate or severe asthma; Driscoll’s camp will take place Monday, June 7 through Friday, June 11, 2004 from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at Del Mar College East Campus.

Campers will learn to manage their asthma so that they can fully enjoy all camp activities. These exercises are also designed to give children a better understanding of their asthma that will benefit them even after camp is over. Activities planned include swimming, arts and crafts, outdoor games, sports, and much more.

Every sport enthusiasts understands the adrenaline of playing outside and getting involved with the game. This week these children will learn that asthma does not have to limit their activities. Corpus Christi’s own sports teams are getting involved with the action. The Corpus Christi Ice Rays,Corpus Christi Hammerheads and Cheerleaders, Corpus Christi Marlins, Texas A&M Universities Basketball Islanders, Tennis and Volleyball Athletic Deptartment students will be there to join and support the children attending Camp Easy Breathers.

About Asthma . . .

Asthma is a chronic disorder in which the airways in the lungs become swollen, clogged, and overly sensitive to changes in the environment. During an asthma flare, the airways become red, swollen, and tight with increased mucus. They are also easily irritated. This irritation or inflammation gets worse in reaction to things called “triggers”, such as colds, allergies, cigarette smoke, and changes in the weather/temperature. Asthma kills about 5,000 Americans each year and costs the United States over $14 billion dollars a year in direct and indirect medical expenses. About 10 million school days are missed due to asthma yearly. Timely diagnosis, appropriate treatment, developing and managing a partnership with a health care professional, as well as reducing exposure to environmental factors assist in living with asthma.

About Driscoll Children’s Hospital
“Improve the health of adults and you give them back their health …
Improve the health of children and you give them their life.”

Since opening its doors in 1953, Driscoll Children’s Hospital has been offering hope and healing to the children of South Texas for half a century. The facility is a 189-bed pediatric tertiary care center with pediatric board-certified specialists representing 19 medical and nine surgical specialties. Each year, more than 6,000 children are admitted for inpatient care, 5,000 for day surgery, and 50,000 for outpatient primary and specialty care, as well as 40,000 for emergency care, as the first South Texas hospital with emergency services exclusively for children. Additionally, Driscoll maintains a state-of-the-art ground/air transport team, 20-bed pediatric intensive care unit, 40-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and specialized medical outreach.

www.driscollchildrens.org

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