06/23/2025
Dallas Lockhart, a 20-year-old student from Toronto, Ontario, has lived with asthma since childhood.
“At nine, I began experiencing shortness of breath and chest tightness, especially during physical activity.”
At first, her parents didn’t grasp the severity of her symptoms. But as they worsened, she was diagnosed with asthma.
In the early years, Dallas relied heavily on both controller and reliever medications—what her parents called her "dinner and dessert." She often faced name-calling and felt discouraged.
“When you’re the slowest person in the race, it gets a little bit defeating at times.”
But Dallas refused to let asthma hold her back. Determined to prove herself, she continued to play volleyball, basketball, and soccer—activities that not only helped improve her fitness but also strengthened her lung capacity.
She credits her confidence to a strong support system: “My parents were my number one supporters, my gym teacher always understood my condition, and my sister was my inspiration.”
In 2020, after years without symptoms, a cold and sinus infection triggered an unexpected asthma attack. Without updated prescriptions, Dallas had no medication on hand. She was rushed to a clinic to be treated.
“This made me open my eyes—just because I don’t have symptoms doesn’t mean my asthma is gone.”
Since then, Dallas has taken charge of her asthma, keeping her medication up to date and identifying her triggers: dust, pet fur, smoke, and unfamiliar environments.
Today, she not only manages her own asthma but also empowers the children in her care who live with it, reminding them:
“Just because you have asthma doesn’t mean you’re limited. You can do anything—and you have me as a support system.”
Dallas’s story reminds us on the importance of lung conditioning, never underestimating asthma, and always keeping your emergency medication close.
