Over the past weeks, smoke has had a big impact on student athletes here at CHS, especially on students with asthma. Air quality has almost hit 300 due to the big fires trapping our small town of Cashmere. Poor air quality leads students with asthma to face challenges during school activities, causing them to not only fall behind and struggle to pay attention in class, but also struggle with daily tasks.
Senior Erin Irelan was interviewed and asked about how the smoke affects her. Her response was, “It just doesn’t make the day very comfortable, and it just feels like there isn’t enough air.”
According to the American Lung Association, “Wildfire smoke can be extremely harmful for people with asthma.”
Asthma doesn’t just affect daily tasks; it can affect performance in sports. Sophomore Peyton Irelan says, “During soccer, I can still do drills, it just limits how well I can control my breathing.” Some practices were either moved or canceled due to the dangerous air quality.
Some symptoms that wildfires cause for people with asthma are shortness of breath, inflammation, coughing, wheezing, asthma attacks, and much more. Peyton explained how her asthma with the smoke doesn’t affect her life as much as it affects Lily Rowe and her sister Erin. Both Rowe and Erin described how asthma disrupts their learning with coughing and wheezing.
Thankfully, the smoke slowly but very much started to clear. Students with asthma can now go back to completing their daily and school responsibilities without struggling to breathe.
