Davis had his first asthma attack when he was seven, and his mum Regina was forced to perform CPR when his health took a sudden, and scary turn. Luckily they were just a couple of hundred meters from the doctor’s surgery when it happened.
On an everyday basis, Regina manages Davis’ condition in the best way possible, which includes taking many precautions to asthma triggers. Cigarette smoke is a common asthma trigger not just for people like Davis, but anyone who has mild to severe asthma.
To reduce the risk of smoke as a trigger, Regina has made their home in Mt Maunganui Smokefree. When visitors go over to their house, Regina comments “Everyone that smokes, has to do it on the footpath. Not in the backyard, the smoke lingers. It’s not a good smell.”
While Regina has done an excellent job of making her home Smokefree, at the same time Davis advocates being Smokefree. He tells people who smoke, “Every cigarette you smoke takes up two minutes of your time. You shouldn’t be smoking.”
Davis also indicates that second-hand smoke is a trigger for him. “That’s no good for you, especially around me.”
He avoids anyone who smokes cigarettes, and even puts the pressure on them to put them out. His cousin once asked him, “How come you’re over there Davis?” He replied, “Because you’re gonna (sic) kill me. See, told you they’d put it out Mum.”
Davis is continually learning to control his asthma, and knows the outcomes of the condition. He always says “You can’t muck around with asthma, aye Mum.” His Mum Regina says, “Well it’s true, it’s weird you just can’t.”
Regina and Davis are the 2016 Cody Forbes Award for Courage winners. The Award was presented to them at the New Zealand Respiratory Awards, held by the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ. Davis and Regina share their story for World Smokefree Day.
