The Asthma Podcast - Transcript October 2009
Ann-Marie: An Asthma UK funded study has developed a new tool that doctors can use to detect early changes in lung function. This could suggest which children are at risk of developing asthma. With me is Elaine Vickers, Research Relations Manager at Asthma UK, what did this study set out to achieve?
Elaine: So the problem that researchers have had in the past is not knowing what normal looks like. How can you tell if a child’s lungs aren’t developing normally and healthily if you don’t look like what it looks like when they are developing normally and healthily. So that was the aim of this project, to really work out what normal is and what it should look like. It’s like when a couple has a baby and they want to know whether the baby is developing normally. You’ve got to have an idea of information you can refer to and charts of what normal development looks like. So that’s what these scientists have been doing, they collected information from about 10,000 children across four different continents… of saying, okay, what is normal? What do lungs look like, sound like, what’s their lung capacity, what’s the normal level of resistance, what is normal?
Ann-Marie: Has anything like this been done like this before or is this really a first in this area?
Elaine: Yeah, it’s totally a first, the international aspect of it – the number of countries involved…
Ann-Marie: So when they were setting this up, how did they go about it? How did it vary?
Elaine: The kids involved I think were between the ages of three and seven. The scientists that we were funding have so many international link-ups. I mean the research community as a whole is incredibly collaborative.
Ann-Marie: So going forward, how will this research actually be used?
Elaine: The purpose of the study is that you can pick up asthma really early on, before symptoms have really start to occur. The idea is, if you know what good looks like, you know the first signs of when something’s going wrong. You can pick out the kids who might go on to develop asthma. So the steps are now to get it implemented. We have this tool, it can be quite easily integrated into hospital computer systems. It’s already been done and a few cases in the UK already they are being used. And its just now wheeling it now across the UK and hopefully, across the world.
Ann-Marie: Since the summer, swine flu has regularly been in the news and charities like Asthma UK, working with those most at risk from swine flu, have been busy ensuring they have the latest advice and information. I’m joined by Dean Stinton from our fundraising team who has been busy with our swine flu appeal, what’s been the reason for this specific appeal?
Dean: We wanted to contact our supporters to advise them on what they could do for their own condition and for people that they know. The appeal also gave us an option to ask for a donation from those supporters to fund the Adviceline because there were many calls left unanswered which was putting people at risk.
Ann-Marie: So what actually was in the pack itself, what were you asking people to do?
Dean: There was a case study involved and it kind of depicted what it was really like for somebody, and she was just really struggling to take care of her little girl. She couldn’t even call for help at one point, she couldn’t even call downstairs for her husband to help her. But she was very kind of thankful because she did phone the Adviceline during that period.
Ann-Marie: That’s a pretty powerful story, and if you think even this week they’ve been saying 50% more cases than the previous week, and we know or we’ve been told that it’s likely to flare up again.
Dean: That’s the frightening thing isn’t it? I think I read recently about 9,000 new cases everyday, which - that’s a struggle to comprehend, it’s such a large volume of people.
Ann-Marie: And how much have you raised so far from the appeal?
Dean: Actually we’ve done really well. I’m very pleased with what our supporters have given us. We’ve raised about £13,500 which has meant we’ve been able to field a further 2,500 calls from families and people who really need the advice about what to do if they contract swine flu.
Ann-Marie: But more cases, we need more nurses.
Dean: It does mean, we will get a bigger influx of calls as well so yes, the Adviceline is one of those lifeline services that constantly needs funding but in particular times when there is something like this. If you’d like to find out more about swine flu, go to our Q&A on our website at asthma.org.uk or call our Adviceline now on 0800 121 62 44.
Ann-Marie: One of the many ways we raise funds like other charities is through our overseas treks. As well as helping us to raise vital funds, these trips are often personal challenges for those involved and also a way to visit parts of the world they have always dreamed of seeing. Alison Hudson is about to set off on our Trek China challenge next week when she’ll be walking the Great Wall of China. Alison, have you ever done anything like this before?
Alison: No, not a challenge, I’ve done a lot of travelling. I grew up hiking in the drachensburg until my early teens so I’m used to the whole being the bush with no facilities etc, but it’s been many years so we’ll see how that goes!
Ann-Marie: How have you actually gone about training and preparing yourself?
Alison: Gym, a lot of working, a lot of looking after what I eat.
Ann-Marie: How many people are going on the trip with you?
Alison: 27 of us walking in our group.
Ann-Marie: And have you met each other yet? Or will it be first time in Beijing?
Alison: Yeah, it will be the first time in Beijing or at Gatwick when we meet at Gatwick.
Ann-Marie: 10 days, where are you staying on each day?
Alison: We start in Beijing, we arrive quite late off a very long flight so we spend a night in Beijing before we go out into the hills towards the wall. And then, we start trekking and it’s about four or five hours trekking a day, and there’s one day where it’s seven or eight hours so yeah, everyday is just a new adventure. And then the end of the trip, we’re back in Beijing for a day’s sort of tourist stuff and then head back to London.
Ann-Marie: So what was it that inspired you to actually go trek China?
Alison: I’ve always wanted to go see the Great Wall of China, and I know that’s very different from walking it I know.
Ann-Marie: Wish you the best of luck, I hope you don’t wake up with stiff limbs on Day 2 and we look forward to hearing all about it when you get back.
Alison: Great, will do.
Ann-Marie: Thank you very much.
Ann-Marie: Last month’s Gala Evening at the Great Hall, Middle Temple in London was a great success, raising £75,000. Though the celebrity guests, after dinner speakers and those who bought tickets all contributed to the success of the evening, our fundraising team depend on volunteers to help events like this run smoothly. Elen Jones was one of the evening’s volunteers. What was your role on the night?
Elen: I helped to set up, everything with the place-names and all the donation slips on the table. Helped to look after the guests, and anything that they needed.
Ann-Marie: When you walked into the hall, in the Middle Temple in London, what were your first impressions?
Elen: I thought it was fantastic, and it was warm and lots of people commented on how they went into the room and it was like ‘wow, this is amazing’ and lots of people said how amazing the venue was. And how much like Harry Potter it was and ‘feel a bit like we’re at Hogwarts!’.
Ann-Marie: Why did you decide to volunteer?
Elen: I’ve been working on the materials for the Gala programme and the invites and I just thought it would be nice to see the whole thing all come to an end, and be there when everybody got to look through the programmes and everybody’s reactions to the venue. It would be interesting to see the other side, since I don’t often get to mix with people that support Asthma UK.
Ann-Marie: And what about the speeches, what stood out for you? The whole point of the evening was the raise money for Asthma UK so what struck you most about the evening, when they were speaking about the cause.
Elen: I think, just generally when we saw the video that was played, about the Kick-Asthma holidays and the children were there, the whole room went quiet and everybody listened and everybody watched. But I think the speakers were really good and it was quite moving to listen to the a couple of the stories they had to say.
Ann-Marie: And has it made you feel different as a result of the volunteering?
Elen: Yes, to be able to get out there and meet different people and realise that all different sorts of people have a connection with asthma that you wouldn’t normally think.
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