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Just For Kids: Topping the Charts with Asthma: How Coolio Manages
his Asthma
 Coolio, the multi-talented
Grammy Award winning and multi-platinum selling artist, composer and
actor, has had asthma since he was a child. But he didn't let it
keep him back. He is one of the most popular and successful rappers worldwide. To
date, Coolio has sold more than 18 million records worldwide and has
performed in concerts to adoring fans in Africa, Israel, Russia, Brazil,
Australia, Turkey and Europe. In the diversified hip-hop industry, Coolio is one of the few rap artists who has garnered mainstream success
and critical acclaim. Coolio’s upcoming album, "El Cool Magnifico" will
be released on October 15, 20002. In addition, fans will have the
opportunity to see Coolio in "DareDevil", a film starring Ben Affleck.
Coolio answers your asthma
questions:
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When did you realize you had asthma? |
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"When I
was a little kid. I don’t remember not having asthma. Asthma was a
stress- induced thing for me. And it was an every day thing. It was
something I lived with, but it wasn’t a big deal. I still played
sports, but I would just have attacks and have to be hospitalized
every now and then. I knew it wasn’t normal, but it was normal for
me." |
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What was it like growing up with asthma? |
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"It was
hard. People in my family would tell me I couldn’t do things and
kids would tease me. When I first started playing sports, coaches
didn’t want to give me a chance. I had to prove myself twice as much
to make the team or get to play. I just ignored the kids who teased
me." |
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How has asthma affected you as an adult? |
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"About 12
years ago, I was doing really bad, getting sick all the time. I had
lost control of the disease and had an episode. I couldn’t breathe
and passed out in the bathroom. I woke up on the floor, and went
outside and ended up pulling myself down the street to the hospital
and someone picked me up along the way and gave me a ride. It was
pretty scary. After that, I got super serious about taking care of
myself and went to see specialists and started taking medication."
"I’ve had my asthma under
control for the last eight years with no emergency or hospital visits,
just regular check ups. I’m taking my medications. The new medications
are really a lot different from what I grew up on. The new generation of
meds are amazing and they work. Today, I work out, I rap, I run around
on stage, play basketball, swim, snowboard. I do everything." |
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What steps did you take to manage your
asthma? |
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"I take my
medications every morning. If it’s going to be a high pollen count
day, I take allergy pills, too. No matter how crazy my schedule
gets, I always take my meds and take them with me wherever I go.
It’s the first thing I do in the morning. Every couple months, I go
and check in with my doc and get new meds, and I call and tell him
how I’m doing, too." |
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As a parent of asthmatic children, what
advice would you give to parents of children who suffer from asthma? |
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"I have
two asthmatic children--a boy and a girl, both teenagers. I would
tell parents to take care of their children. Make sure they are
taking their meds and stay on them until they get it. Eventually,
they will get it. Kids don’t like to be sick either. You have to
give them responsibility. I’m not around every day, so they have to
watch themselves, but I pay attention to their health." |
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What do you think is the most important
thing people need to know about asthma? |
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"Asthma is
real, and you can die from it. Get help. There is a misconception
that asthma is a mental disease, but it’s physical. You need
treatment and you need medication." |
Read more about Asthma and Allergies
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