MAY is Asthma Awareness Month and this year, the theme is how you can control your asthma.

For young children, parents play a key role.

When Liong Qin Kai was diagnosed with asthma, he was just 7 months old. When he was 6, he suffered a life-threatening attack.

Today, aged 10, his asthma is well under control and he leads an active life, taking part in triathlons and representing his school in badminton.

Qin Kai is able to do all this because his parents went from thinking that he would grow out of his asthma to taking his condition seriously and sticking to a clinical programme for young asthma sufferers like him.

Said his father, Mr C W Liong: 'That acute attack scared us out of our complacency. At that time, his oxygen level was so low he had to stay in hospital for observation for a week.

'He was breathless and could not breath normally even though the doctor gave him heavy doses of medicine. He was panting and pale. I believed his life could have been threatened.'

Initially, when he was diagnosed at 6 or 7 months old, it was just some wheezing.

Said Mr Liong, 42, a corporate real estate manager: 'We did not take the doctors' advice seriously. We thought it was common among children and he would grow out of it.'

It turned out to be his one big regret.

'In hindsight, if we had taken the advice earlier, what happened to him would not have happened,' he said.

Some of the things he and his wife did not do were giving their son the right medication on time and keeping to the routine doctors had advised.

'There were a couple of things we had to do to follow the asthmatic programme. For example, there's a set of routines in the night we should have followed, to prevent him from aggravating his sensitive lungs,' said Mr Liong.

ACUTE ATTACK

The acute attack had happened in the night while they were at home.

'He was uncomfortable, coughing away and unable to sleep. His breathing became shorter each time,' Mr Liong recalled.

'He was crying and his face was getting pale, his heartbeat was too fast.'

He and his wife tried to do a few things, like giving him the pump that delivers the asthma medication, but it was too late and it didn't work. Then we knew it was a big problem.'

They drove to the hospital in the middle of the night and Qin Kai was warded.

Now they follow the programme seriously and go for regular check-ups.

Qin Kai also swims and plays badminton.

His father said: 'We love sports - we will not stop him from enjoying that. Each year, we will go on holidays to exotic islands.'

But each time they go on a trip, they are careful to watch their son and to take along all the necessary medication - Ventolin for prevention of airway obstruction and Pulmicort to prevent asthma attacks.

Mr Liong said: 'On and off, he has little problems, panting and coughing, but he has not had a big attack since when he was 6.

'He even took part in the Osim International Triathlon two years ago and he came out 47 out of 95 boys.'

Life goes on as normal.

'We don't want him to feel he can't do this and that. So far, it's common sense that prevails, such as not too much cold water when he's coughing, not too much citrus fruit, bad for phlegm,' Mr Liong said.

'At home, we don't use cotton blinds, which tend to trap a lot of dust. We use synthetic ones, and we clean the house more frequently and make it more airy.'

This story was first published in The New Paper on May 13, 2008.