A Story about Smoking and Asthma
Author: Tammye Farmer, Florida State University (Graduate Research Assistant) Illustrator: Chuck McCann
Acknowledgments This endeavor would not have been feasible without the continuous assistance and support of Dr. Gail Bellamy, Director of the Center for Rural Health Research and Policy, Dr. Penny A. Ralston, Director of the Center for Better Health & Life for Underserved Populations, and Ms. AndrĂŠe Aubrey, Director of the Florida State University AHEC Program. Thanks to the remaining members of our Product Development and Research Team: Catherine Coccia, Javier Vazquez, and Iris M. Young-Clark. Thanks to the members of the Florida State University Health Literacy in Diverse Populations Advisory Committee: Joanna Colburn, Rhonda Cooper, Guillermo Gonzalez, Jerry Lang, Alma Littles, Juliette L. McDonald, Maria Pouncey, and Sharon Ross-Donaldson. Finally, a very special thanks to the instructor of the Adult Basic Education literacy classes, Shukree Cha-Jua; and the instructor of the Adult and Community Education (ACE) literacy classes, Martha Del Moral; and to all their students who participated in this project. This project was funded by the Florida Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY College of MEDICINE 1
Characters Name: Byron, Jr. (BJ) Relationship: Son of Lucretia and Byron Status: Asthmatic
Name: Lucretia Relationship: Mother of BJ
Name: Byron Relationship: Father of BJ / Boyfriend of Tawana
Name: Tawana Relationship: Girlfriend of Byron Status: Smoker
Name: Doctor Relationship: Pediatrician of BJ 2
Lucretia:
Byron, BJ has an appointment with the doctor to check on his asthma and to finish his shots. I need you to take him.
Byron:
Alright, just have him ready to go when we get there.
3
Byron:
Hey big boy!
BJ:
Daddy, I got a happy face (cough) on my (coughwheeze)
Byron:
What, Daddy didn’t hear you. BJ!
Tawana:
He’s choking! Stop the car!
Byron:
Try to help him, Tawana! We’re only a block away from the doctor’s office! 4
HELP!!!
Ella Mae: Curtis Lenard Clemens Junior, you put that cigarette out, NOW!
Byron:
Help! My son can’t breathe!
5
Doctor:
Byron, Jr. had a severe asthma attack. Has he been exposed to cigarette smoke?
Byron:
Yes. Tawana was smoking in the car. Why?
Doctor:
Because the secondhand smoke is triggering his asthma.
Byron:
So is smoking around BJ really that bad?
Doctor:
Yes, it is very bad. He shouldn’t be around smoke. If he is around smokers over time, BJ can develop other lung diseases, such as bronchitis and pneumonia. 6
Byron:
Tawana, I could have lost my boy today.
Tawana:
I know. I will do whatever it takes to make sure that BJ is safe when he is with us.
THE END
7
For more information on how to quit call:
(1-877-822-6669) 8