Taking Charge of Your Health
How St. John's Can Help

Sigh of Relief: Brad’s Story

For the first time in his life, Brad Butts can breathe a sigh of relief – literally.
With one visit to St. John’s Asthma Resource Center, the 34-year-old Branson music show drummer and asthma sufferer found the right medication and tools to manage his asthma so that he will never again suffer another asthma attack like the one that nearly took his life a little over a year ago.
“I started having an asthma attack while playing the drums during the second act of our show, but I ignored it until we finished the set. Once I got backstage, I used my inhaler, but by then it really didn’t help much,” Brad recounts.
After the show, Brad took off driving for Springfield, thinking that if he could just get home to cool off and relax, he would be OK. But the attack worsened during the 40-minute drive. He considered calling his wife on his cell phone, but knew he wouldn’t be able to speak clearly because he wasn’t getting enough air.
Brad got help just in time. The attack – his worst ever – was a wake-up call that he needed to learn how to manage his asthma.
After his ER visit, Brad visited St. John’s Asthma Resource Center. In one visit, Brad learned he had allergy-induced asthma. He found the right medicine to combat his allergies, which helps prevent the asthma attacks. He also learned how to use a peak flow meter, which allows him to measure the day-to-day variations in his breathing.
“I check my breathing a few times a day with the peak flow meter. If my oxygen level is low, I can adjust my medication accordingly, so I’ll never again get to the point I was at when I had my last attack,” he says.
Asthma is a growing problem in the United States, among both adults and children.
"Over the past decade, the number of asthmatics among preschoolers has risen by 15 percent," says St. John’s allergy specialist Gregory Lux, M.D., co-medical director of St. John's Asthma Resource Center. "St. John’s established the Asthma Resource Center to educate asthma sufferers to help them control their disease."
When a patient is diagnosed with asthma by their primary care physician or visits St. John’s Hospital’s ER, they are automatically referred to the Asthma Resource Center.
At the first visit to the Asthma Resource Center, the asthma patient has a clinical assessment, learns about the disease and discusses their work and home environments to determine what could be triggering their asthma. They also receive medication and a peak flow meter.
“This program changed my life,” Brad says. “For the first time, I feel good all the time and I haven’t had an asthma attack in over a year.”
For more information about St. John’s Asthma Resource Center, call 417-820-5864.