Jayda Williamson

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 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 mom 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 uses puffers daily to control her asthma, and she is participating in her regular activities like soccer and volleyball. If she is doing a lot of running, she must take her puffer first to prevent an asthma attack.

Jayda’s family is extremely grateful for the care their daughter received. “While we don’t know how things will progress for Jayda with her asthma,” says Lisa, “we know that she has an exceptional care team watching out for her well-being at the IWK.”