A social support network driven by a nationwide coalition of individuals, families and agencies who power the Tackling Asthma™ movement of inspiration and education.

Every Breath Counts.

•    Asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions among children.
•    Asthma is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among children.
•    Asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism.
•    Asthma accounts for more than 14 million total missed days of school
•    Children 5-17 years of age missed 12.8 million school days due to Asthma related issues

Asthma - a chronic lung disease that affects the airways in the lungs causing restricted breathing, pain and even death - affects more than 300 million people worldwide(according to the WHO), including 24 million in the United States alone (including seven million children), which causes more than 1.5 million emergency room visits, and 500,000 hospitalizations every year. Each day in America,  11 people die from a result of asthma and the government spends more than $18 billion in healthcare treatments for the disease. This chronic lung disease affects the airways in the lungs causing restricted breathing, pain and sometimes death. 

In 2007, the Chris Draft Family Foundation (CDFF) developed the Asthma Team™, a social support network driven by a national coalition of individuals, families, and agencies committed to the Tackling Asthma movement through inspiration and education. After an asthma attack during St. Louis Rams training camp, Chris Draft decided to take the message of asthma awareness nationwide.  The movement sparked the Asthma Team™, and the working goal to empower communities with preventative education measures for those suffering from asthma.

The CDFF accomplishes the asthma awareness mission of the Asthma Team through a variety of strategic programs and partnerships, including working together the American Lung Association, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The foundation also makes an impact across the country through asthma-related programming, including reaching out to students through various school-age education programs and health fairs and placing CDFF Tackling Asthma posters, which feature 10 tips for Tackling Asthma, in schools across the country.

The Asthma Team™ was created to increase awareness and prevent as many asthma deaths as possible. By encouraging children, their families, and organizations to be advocates in their communities for the general improvement of public heath, the numbers of cases will surely decrease. The CDFF is committed to educating families about the prevalence and prevention of the disease so they have education to better treat and improve the quality of life of children living with asthma. By learning proper methods to control asthma, people can lead active and athletic lifestyles while living with the disease.

Most asthma attacks can be prevented by monitoring certain triggers, and asthmatics can lead active and healthy lives if they diligently adhere to their asthma-management plan. Managing asthma ultimately leads to the reduction of prevalent cases. By advocating general improvement in causes such as decreasing air pollution and the prevalence of secondhand smoke, asthma cases can be greatly reduced. Utilizing the resources from local, active organizations that already promote asthma awareness, and creating a national network with shared initiatives for these collective groups, is what the Asthma Team™ is striving to achieve.