When you and three of your children have asthma — two of them severe — indoor and outdoor air quality can be a day-by-day medical and quality-of-life challenge.  Natalie and her husband Sean, of Delran, N.J. have experienced the dramatic and subtle effects of asthma within their family, and they have seen how air quality can make or break a child’s day. There were times when their daughter couldn’t even walk from their apartment door to the parking lot on a hot summer day. She would immediately start to wheeze, and her doctors now tell them to keep her in air conditioning on ozone alert days. But at the time, they didn’t know much about the reality of asthma and how the air can affect it.

For the McCloskey family, the progress made in both asthma research and public policy has changed their lives. For Erin, 13, and Dacey, 5, the results have been striking, beginning with effective treatments developed through ongoing research. Before they got Erin’s asthma under control, she couldn’t even go outside to play. Their lives revolved around doctor’s visits, breathing treatments, and hospital stays. At first, Erin was in and out of the hospital week after week. They couldn’t lead a normal life. Since they were referred to specialists at St. Christopher’s Hospital in Philadelphia, their kids get the best treatments. Now, there are a lot of medications involved to keep their asthma under control, but they lead normal lives.