Parupalli Kashyap

Badminton Player

I have had asthma since I was a teenager. At the age of 16 while I was training in Bangalore, I kept on falling sick every 2-3 weeks with a cough, cold and fever.

I noticed that this kept occurring every 2-3 weeks like a cycle. This was really difficult to deal with since it was hampering my training and daily routine. I had to go see a doctor. The general physician I saw back then did not suggest that I go see a chest physician. Since this kept on occurring, like a cycle, I thought it was the air and weather in Bangalore that wasn't right for me and hence I shifted back to Hyderabad. On seeing a general physician in Hyderabad, he asked me to see a chest physician who diagnosed me with asthma.

Once I was diagnosed with asthma and given the proper medication, such as inhalers, I noticed an instant change in my lifestyle. I was suddenly fitter, faster and healthier overall. The cycle of sickness stopped and within 6 months of the proper medication I won the junior nationals and was selected to join the Indian badminton team. The change really helped me to improve my overall performance on the court.

One time I was in Malaysia for a tournament which was hosted in a small dusty village. I had passed the first round of the tournament. During my Round 2 match, I was winning comfortably when suddenly I began to feel dizzy and disoriented. It was hard for me to breathe and I was really scared as to what was happening to me. My coaching team was also taken aback as they could not understand what was wrong and assess the situation. I wanted to pull out of the match as I felt like I was about to faint. But somehow I powered through but ended up losing the game from a winning position.  Post the game I went to see the doctor again who told me that I needed to update my asthma medication. Due to the dust and conditions in Malaysia my ongoing medication was not effective enough and it affected me badly.

This is just one story out of the many where asthma has affected my daily life and more importantly, my game. But I have overcome the situation eventually and gone on to do better. I hereby would like to call out to all of those young men and women who may have asthma and tell them that it IS NOT a condition that stops you from living life. It's just a speed bump which can easily be surpassed if taken care of correctly. #OpenUpToAsthma