Claire

 She has been told by her GP that it looks like Grace has asthma but that they won’t be able to get a proper diagnosis for a while. Grace wheezes in Winter months, particularly on cold mornings and coughs persistently by night. She get sick easily and has often been sick upon her return to crèche or school in September. She has had two asthma attacks in the last year. One was in school and one was while she was at her grandparents house in Waterford. The asthma attacks terrified Grace and her parents. Grace is a real worrier. She worries about the asthma and also about making a fuss at school and is anxious about taking her inhaler in front of the other kids. Daniel is three and is a happy-go-lucky kid. He has been having recurrent chest infections since he was a year old and had to be treated in hospital when one of these became serious quite quickly. He seems to have a runny nose all the time. Claire is really worried about how to manage their money with the costs of having two children with asthma. Now that Grace is six, they no longer get free GP visits for her. The monthly medical costs really take a toll for them as a family. Even with the Drugs Payment Scheme, the cost is so high that everyone feels the burden of getting sick. The only relief is that Daniel is still able to see his GP with the under-6 programme. Claire and David also find it confusing about why neither of the children are actually diagnosed with asthma. It makes it hard for them to tell the school, family and friends how to manage with Grace and Daniel’s medication. Claire worries every single day during Winter about Grace having another asthma attack at school.