Jayda

In March 2017, Jayda—an athletic and active then eleven-year-old—became ill with a fever and started vomiting. The next day, when she began wheezing, Jayda’s parents, Lisa and Brent, rushed her to the IWK emergency department. 

Immediately, care teams took Jayda to a triage room, where she was given an oxygen mask. Unsure as to what was causing her oxygen levels to be so low, doctors admitted Jayda to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), where she was put on Ventolin, a medicine administered through a mask, to help with her breathing and shortness of breath. 

Jayda remained in the PICU for three days before she was able to breathe unassisted and go home. After determining Jayda had asthma, she was given a puffer to assist her breathing when needed. 

“While this was a scary time for us, we knew the IWK care team was being thorough in their care for our daughter and finding out what was wrong,” says Lisa. 

All went well for Jayda through the spring and summer, and she happily resumed her active lifestyle. However, in late September, she had another severe asthma attack and was once again admitted to PICU. 

Today, Jayda is 19 years old and is attending university. She plans to attend Law School after completing an undergraduate degree in Bachelor of Commerce. She has had no hospitalizations since the fall of 2017. However, she continues to need to use an asthma inhaler twice a day. 

In her spare time, she enjoys going to the gym, coaching volleyball and spending time with her family and friends. She is extremely grateful for the care she received at the IWK and the life she can live today.