'His asthma was so bad he's been hospitalised 38 times'

Most parents expect to take their children to hospital at least once in their life, but Kathy Melton explains here why she's had to do it almost 40 times

- MATT NIXSON

As mother to a youngster with severe asthma, Kathy Melton knows only too well how vital it is to stay calm in an emergency. But last year, when her son Josh had his worst ever asthma attack and had to be rushed to a high dependency unit, she feared the worst.

"Over the years we've been in and out of hospital so many times, but this time was awful, Josh wasn't responding to any of the medication they were giving him and that was the first time that had happened," recalls Kathy. "He was gasping for breath, and I could tell he was frightened, but all I could do was try to comfort him."

When Josh was just a baby, Kathy was told he had asthma although it couldn't be formally diagnosed until he was five. When he was just one, his symptoms started one day when he had picked up a cold.

"He was lethargic, and I noticed he wasn't breathing very well and had a bit of a wheeze. I thought it was because of his cold, but it kept getting worse," Kathy says.

"My husband Carl was at home with me, and we decided to dial 111 and were told to take him to an out-of-hours GP clinic at the nearest hospital. But by the time we got there, Josh was like a rag doll in my arms."

Josh was admitted and had to stay in hospital for three nights.

Doctors thought he had a wheeze brought on by a viral infection, and he was given steroids and referred to see a consultant. But two months later, he suffered another episode of wheezing and breathlessness. Tests showed he had a multitude of allergies.

"The doctors said it was asthma, even though he was too young for an official diagnosis, and his allergies were triggering it. Viruses were also a trigger, so coughs and colds brought on his asthma as well," says Kathy.