“It all started when Lea was about two-and-a-half. She constantly had a cold, had trouble going to sleep and would wake up coughing at night. We took her to a paediatrician who prescribed a course of treatment for rhino-pharyngitis.
Even though Lea took cough medicine, the symptoms didn’t go away. She was still not well. We couldn’t understand why the treatment wasn’t working.

One night, she started struggling to breathe. In the emergency room we were told that Lea was having her first asthma attack. It was very scary and unsettling. We were referred to a pulmonary specialist who carried out prick tests and found that Lea was allergic to house dust mites.

At under 5 years old, Lea was too young to start immunotherapy treatment. But it was such a relief when that diagnosis was made!

She was prescribed symptomatic treatment for allergies and bronchodilators for asthma. Despite the treatment, she had a few more asthma attacks which ended up in the emergency room because the medication wasn’t always effective.

It was hard for Lea. She was very tired, slept badly, was short of breath... Those around her couldn’t understand why she couldn’t stop sneezing or why her nose was always running. She also missed quite a lot of school.

We started immunotherapy treatment two years ago. Her attacks are now much less frequent, although she continues to hide her sneezing because she’s embarrassed when other people stare at her. ”