Marisol Scanlon is breathing easier thanks to asthma care at the MCI

Marisol Scanlon has lived with asthma her entire life.

At day camp as a child, she always had special permission to avoid activities that might trigger an asthma attack. She recalls finding a lovely spot under a tree where she could pass the afternoon.

“I taught card games to all the kids. I probably taught a few people to gamble long before they were 18. For candy of course,” says Marisol.

Her haven is the swimming pool, where she can exercise without having to worry about overdoing it.

“I swim laps,” says Marisol. “It helps a lot with the asthma. You can build up the cardio to just the right level. It’s a good way to stay active and remain in a closed environment.”

As a young adult, Marisol moved to Vancouver, where the more temperate climate made her asthma much more manageable. She had fewer lung problems during those years, and believed the worst of her asthma might be behind her. But she was wrong.

When Marisol moved back to Montreal, the cold, dry winters and hot, humid summers—much different from weather on the West Coast—caused her asthma to flare up again. She was discouraged to find that she was using her inhaler multiple times per week to manage the symptoms. Breathing had suddenly become much more difficult.

“It’s like breathing through a straw. And that straw is flat and squished and you are trying to open it up,” says Marisol.

Fearing things would get worse, Marisol quickly found a family doctor, who referred her to the Montreal Chest Institute (MCI) at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). There she met Dr. Kevin Schwartzman and nurse Kathy Riches.