Jackie Joyner-Kersee is an expert in discipline on the field as a six-time Olympic medalist, but off the field has faced a different challenge: chronic asthma. Through her lifelong journey of building a toolbox of resources for symptom management and awareness, she’s taking it all in a stride.
You’ve been open about living and competing with asthma throughout your career. How did that shape your understanding of lung health early on?
Early on, I didn’t take it as seriously as I should have. I was diagnosed as asthmatic when I was in my freshman year in college at 18 years of age. I’m doing all these things athletically, and I’m like, there’s no way I can have asthma. So I lived in denial for a long time, not realizing how I was jeopardizing my own health.
I didn’t want anybody to think something was wrong with me. I had to really educate myself. I had to start using some of my non-asthmatic friends as lifelines for me so that they could recognize symptoms I sometimes didn’t want to accept I was having a difficult time with.
As the years progressed, it eventually got worse, and I had to come to grips with understanding that — this is coming from working with my pulmonologist at the time — I could lose my life. But I’m thinking, if my breathing is exacerbated, I go and sit down, and I’m going to get it under control, while not realizing I could have gone into a full-blown attack.
I was in emergency rooms quite often and having IVs and medication put into my system, while still thinking, “I’m feeling better.” But I could see the toll that it was taking on my family and friends, because they knew I could control it. So I had to take it very seriously.
Now [asthma] is more talked about, but being in an athletic field, I’m sure there are a lot of misconceptions.
Yes, the stigma: being an athlete who’s supposed to be in superior condition.
If you even mention something like asthma to people who are not connected or don’t understand the symptoms of an asthmatic or having difficulty with breathing, they’re like, “You’re just weak, something’s wrong with you.”
So you find yourself trying to be invincible, but you’re not. You’re very vulnerable. Being able to be open helps. As I sit here today, I’m still an asthmatic, and I still deal with it. Allergy season, the change of weather, the change of climate, all these different things make me have flare-ups, but I have to stay on top of it.
Eight months ago, I found myself in the hospital, because my eosinophils had elevated. I was sick; I wasn’t taking that long-active medication. I thought, “I don’t need it anymore. I’m good, because I’m not running.” But that wasn’t the case.
It’s an ongoing journey. Journaling reminds me of how to continue to discipline and educate myself — to pick up literature and learn more. I know when you can’t breathe, you can’t do anything. You don’t know where your next breath is coming from, and you feel like the walls are caving in on you. It’s just one of the most frightening things for me as an adult. I can’t imagine that for a young kid.
What are some resources you wish more people knew about when it comes to managing asthma?
Talk about it, be upfront with it, be honest with it. For me, not being ashamed to share my story. Letting people know that they might see me as a world-class athlete, but there were days when I could not even do one lap around the track, even just walking.
I used those outside influences — listening to my doctors, listening to my teammates, having a strong core around me that would be honest with me and ask, “Did you take your medicine today?” As annoying as it might be, you need that. It’s like coaching, but off the field: a constant reminder of how you keep this under control. A great habit can turn into a bad habit with the lack of discipline.
Back then, I didn’t want anybody watching me take my inhaler. I’m hiding behind the trees, and I’m allergic to the trees. I’m allergic to fresh-cut grass. I’m doing all these things that put myself in more harm. But the more I shared with my friends, the more they were able to help me, and my teammates reassured me. It took awhile, because of all these “amazing” things I did on the field — it was hard for people to really conceptualize. But for me, it was real and extremely tough at times, so that made a huge difference.
How did you balance staying active while also protecting yourself from some of those environmental triggers like allergy season?
The balance is quite different from when I was competing on the field. Now it’s just about keeping myself in the best shape possible. It still feels new even at my age today, because I’m not used to taking a pill every day; I don’t want to do that. But this is part of discipline. Understanding these are things I have to do to make sure my quality of life is not diminished.
Having someone as your “coach” — someone as a constant reminder, making sure I’m going to my doctor regularly, that I’m doing the things I’m supposed to do. I’m keeping notes like, “Why did I feel an itchy throat? What caused that?” I’m staying on top of my long-active medication and not just using my rescue inhaler every day. That’s a no-no.
And also being able to have conversations that keep me accountable — integrity and being authentic and true to myself. I can’t deliver a message to someone if I’m not being true to myself. A friend of mine is constantly saying, “Do you have to do a breathing test?” If we’re on the phone talking and she can hear me wheezing. Sometimes for me, wheezing is normal. I just think that’s how I should breathe, but it’s not. There’s a trigger.
How do you help others become aware?
Awareness is definitely very important, because there are a lot of student athletes. At my community center here in East Saint Louis, we have a football team with an age group as young as 8–10 years old. A lot of them might have respiratory problems. We try to talk with the coaches and say it’s not about toughening up, maybe they’re allergic to the grass. That’s why they’re having a problem. So, again, that awareness in the eyes of people who think being strong means not being vulnerable.
What do you think we can do to bring those conversations to students, young people, and even their parents early on?
Start with prevention. When I was competing athletically, I saw my physical therapist every day to understand my body and my training. He was communicating with my coach saying, “Maybe we shouldn’t do speed outs, her hamstrings are very tender.” Everything that I did on the athletic field was to prevent something else from happening. That’s the same attitude I had when it came to asthma.
I have a curriculum called Winning in Life. Winning in Life is a toolbox with tools you don’t know you need. You can go to that toolbox at any given time and pull out one of those principles that can change your trajectory, your mindset, or your behavior by providing them with knowledge. Being equipped is what has helped me.
What advice do you have for young people if they’re struggling with similar conditions?
Don’t let asthma or any lung disease control you. You can control it as long as you never give up on yourself. Use all the tools available. I know when you can’t breathe, it’s tough. But when we get out of our own way, there’s help out there.
