Today I woke up seeing my worst nightmare come to life: my daughter struggling to breathe.

Since summer started (temperature and humidity rising to crazy levels), Pristine had been coughing on and off. Other than the occasional coughing, she is fine, going to school everyday and playing.

One day last month, she woke up with a wheezing sound in her chest, shortness of breath and coughing profusely to loosen her air pipes. My little girl is having an asthma attack!

She had no history of ashtma since birth. What could have triggered it? We have no carpets inside our apartment, we have no dogs or cats as pets, our house is clean. I am so troubled. Of all kid-related diseases, I dread and fear asthma most of all. I can’t bear to see her fighting to breathe, not sure of what to do so cries, or tosses and turns in her bed because of breathing difficulty.

This morning we woke up at 4 am to her cry for help. She was coughing, not breathing properly and crying. I jumped out of bed and got her Salbutamol liquid but we all know that asthma meds in liquid form do not take effect fast. After 10 more minutes she was still huffing and puffing. I told my husband we need to take her to the hospital. NOW!

We arrived in the hospital at 4:20 and though she was still wheezing, breathing was a little bit more relaxed. The doctor asked me so many questions from family history to possible allergens. She was given nebulizers and just like magic, she was back to her normal self and talking cheerfully early in the morning.

We went home at 6:30, carrying a medication I never dreamt of having: a metered dose inhaler in my hand.