Breathing was challenging for Caleb as a baby, then his family found CHoR
Before 8-year-old Caleb Petty’s asthma was under control, he was in and out of the emergency room and doctor’s office several times a month. His mom was scared to even let him spend the night at his grandma’s house.
“He kept having issues with his breathing, kept having colds. He was on a nebulizer when he was a couple months old. He was constantly on prednisone,” said Caleb’s mom, Crystal.
In 2017, Caleb’s pediatrician sent him to CHoR to get to the bottom of things. Dr. Michael Schechter diagnosed him with asthma and his family began making the hour-plus drive to see our team for regular appointments. Ginger Mary, nurse practitioner on our pulmonary team, works closely with allergy and ENT to coordinate care for all of Caleb’s needs. In addition to his asthma medication, which has been adjusted and increased over time, Dupixent shots help alleviate his severe eczema.
Staying active with asthma and allergies
Caleb loves sports and going outside – all things that can cause his asthma and allergies to flare. With the right combination of medications keeping his symptoms under control, he’s been able to get out and put his energy to good use.
“He’s allergic to everything outside – grass, trees. For the first time this year, I tried him in three sports back-to-back – baseball, football and basketball – and he did marvelous. No flare-ups,” said Crystal.
Caleb also hasn’t missed a single day of school during third grade, and the only time he sees his pediatrician now is for his regular well checkups. He used to come for appointments with Ginger every 3 months, but those have spaced out to 6 months now at our Waterside Commons location with virtual check-ins in between to save his family drive time.
“Caleb has been stable for a while. We are now working on stepping down asthma medications,” said Ginger. “My goal for him is to be on the least amount of medication that allows him to maintain control and continue to be the busy, fun, energetic kid he is.”
Health care challenges made sweeter with support and silver linings
“Every time I call, they’re always there,” said Crystal of Caleb’s team at CHoR. “They have shown me that my child is 100% a priority. It’s a blessing to have that. They gave my son the ability to be a child. He can go out and play. He can go out and be a kid. That’s the best gift they can give.”
They haven’t done it alone though.
“Caleb’s family is the kind of family you want for every child to have,” said Kathleen Bowden, social worker and administrator of our UCAN asthma program. “They have worked with all of our pulmonary staff to address Caleb’s asthma. They have developed ways to make sure he’s always getting his medication and have made environmental changes at home that are asthma friendly. None of what we do could be effective without their phenomenal follow through at home.”
Caleb isn’t the only one breathing easier these days. His mom loves that she’s comfortable allowing her son to run, play and even spend the night away with Grandma. While she wouldn’t have chosen this situation for him, she’s taken the opportunity to turn it into an important life lesson.
“When he was little, he used to say, ‘Mama, why do I have to be the sick kid?’ Now he’s accepted that he needs to take his medicine and go on with his life,” she said. “I tell him everyone in life is different. You just have to embrace and make the best of what you have. He has done that and I’m very proud of him for that.”