Helping Kids Breathe Easier: What Every Parent Should Know About Childhood Asthma with Dr. Sande Okelo

I can tell you as general pediatricians, we're constantly dealing with kids who have issues with asthma in particular, which is basically what Dr. O'Kello's expertise is in.

So Why did you end up, okay, you became a pediatrician and then you became a pediatric pulmonologist.

Can you just tell us, first of all, why pediatrics, number one, and number two, why pediatric pulmonology?

Yeah, pediatrics, I just, the family orientation of it just really resonated with me.

It's just a dynamic that I appreciated.

You're dealing with obviously the kids and the parents and, you know, it was just the type of setting that I wanted to be integrated into.

In terms of the decision to become a pulmonologist, I think there were, I'd say, two main factors.

One is that I had suffered childhood asthma and had multiple ER visits, fortunately no hospitalizations, and so asthma resonated with me quite a bit and became a strong interest.

And so in terms of the kind of two avenues to pursue that primarily were their pulmonology or allergy and immunology.

And pulmonology just was more of an interest because of the strong kind of inpatient and outpatient connection that I could continue to, you know, take care of patients in both types of settings.

And so that's how I ended up in pediatric pulmonology.

So when you were a kid, were you were you a significant or severe asthmatic or how would you what? Now, looking back as a pediatric pulmonologist, what level were you at?

Yeah.

You know, I would say I was probably moderate.

You know, I had multiple ER visits.

I had asthma attacks at home.

This was in the olden days, Bob.

There were really no inhaled steroids back then.

There were just rescue inhalers.

In fact, you know, primatine mist was probably the main rescue inhaler back then.

So, you know, things have come a long, long way since then.

So listen, Sande, I want you to know that I think I predate you a little bit.

I actually was a child who had asthma as well.

And

I remember my brother, David, would tell me, we shared a room and he told me how I would be breathing and I couldn't breathe and it terrified my poor brother.

I can tell you as general pediatricians, we're constantly dealing with kids who have issues with asthma in particular, which is basically what Dr. O'Kello's expertise is in.

So Why did you end up, okay, you became a pediatrician and then you became a pediatric pulmonologist.

Can you just tell us, first of all, why pediatrics, number one, and number two, why pediatric pulmonology?

Yeah, pediatrics, I just, the family orientation of it just really resonated with me.

It's just a dynamic that I appreciated.

You're dealing with obviously the kids and the parents and, you know, it was just the type of setting that I wanted to be integrated into.

In terms of the decision to become a pulmonologist, I think there were, I'd say, two main factors.

One is that I had suffered childhood asthma and had multiple ER visits, fortunately no hospitalizations, and so asthma resonated with me quite a bit and became a strong interest.

And so in terms of the kind of two avenues to pursue that primarily were their pulmonology or allergy and immunology.

And pulmonology just was more of an interest because of the strong kind of inpatient and outpatient connection that I could continue to, you know, take care of patients in both types of settings.

And so that's how I ended up in pediatric pulmonology.

So when you were a kid, were you were you a significant or severe asthmatic or how would you what? Now, looking back as a pediatric pulmonologist, what level were you at?

Yeah.

You know, I would say I was probably moderate.

You know, I had multiple ER visits.

I had asthma attacks at home.

This was in the olden days, Bob.

There were really no inhaled steroids back then.

There were just rescue inhalers.

In fact, you know, primatine mist was probably the main rescue inhaler back then.

So, you know, things have come a long, long way since then.

So listen, Sande, I want you to know that I think I predate you a little bit.

I actually was a child who had asthma as well.

And

I remember my brother, David, would tell me, we shared a room and he told me how I would be breathing and I couldn't breathe and it terrified my poor brother.