0:00:07 > 0:00:11From the moment we're born we instinctively want to breathe,
0:00:11 > 0:00:13it's natural, it's what keeps us alive.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17But some people can't even take that for granted.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19I know about this because I'm asthmatic.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21When I had an attack
0:00:21 > 0:00:24it was one of the most terrifying moments of my life.
0:00:24 > 0:00:25I got very frightened.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27I was on a crowded street and I started to panic,
0:00:27 > 0:00:29and that's the worst thing you can do.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Now, actually it's fine now. It's controlled by medicine
0:00:32 > 0:00:35and as long as I do what the doctors tell me, it's not a problem.
0:00:35 > 0:00:42But nearly 5½ million people suffer from asthma in the UK alone.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46And 250,000 have severe asthma,
0:00:46 > 0:00:49like 33-year-old Stacian.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53From the age of six I really loved dancing, I really loved it.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57When I was diagnosed, that's when everything stopped.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01Aged 10, asthma changed Stacian's life completely.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05I wasn't allowed to play out with the kids any more, like sports.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08I had to limit everything I was doing.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11It was really frustrating as a child, I just keep saying
0:01:11 > 0:01:15"I want to be normal. Why can't I run like my brothers and sisters?"
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Stacian's family had no choice but to restrict her,
0:01:18 > 0:01:22as even limited exercise led to attacks.
0:01:22 > 0:01:28Everything was affecting me, hay fever, strong-smelling chemicals,
0:01:28 > 0:01:30I was having hospital admissions three, four times a week.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33SHE BREATHES WITH DIFFICULTY
0:01:33 > 0:01:37Two years ago, her attacks had become so serious that her
0:01:37 > 0:01:41consultant felt it was time to break some very difficult news.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44I was told that the hospital couldn't do anything for me
0:01:44 > 0:01:46and I was going to die.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Any minute your next attack will definitely kill you.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53At that point I was thinking of my dad,
0:01:53 > 0:01:56he died at the age of 26 of asthma.
0:01:56 > 0:02:03I start having flashbacks of when my dad used to lift me
0:02:03 > 0:02:07and play games with me, and I could hear him wheezing and struggling,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10and then I just started breaking down.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15I did not want to die because I haven't even enjoyed my life.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20For some people asthma can be a real burden.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22That's why I'm appealing on behalf of Asthma UK,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24a leading charity
0:02:24 > 0:02:28that funds ground-breaking research hoping to find a cure,
0:02:28 > 0:02:33but also helps sufferers, on a daily basis, handle their condition.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Now this work is absolutely vital
0:02:35 > 0:02:41because every single day in the UK alone, three people die from asthma.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47This is Annette, her daughter Sophie was diagnosed with asthma
0:02:47 > 0:02:50when she was a young child, but with medication she coped fine.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Always had lots of friends knocking on the door
0:02:56 > 0:03:01for her, loved to play out. She...
0:03:01 > 0:03:03she just lived life to the full.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09But when the family moved to a more rural area, everything changed.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14Sophie deteriorated quite rapidly,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17She was going to the hospital a lot more.
0:03:19 > 0:03:26It was just so hard to see her struggling for air in some ways,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29and struggling to breathe.
0:03:29 > 0:03:34I can't believe how much pain or anything that she must have been in,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36but she would never
0:03:36 > 0:03:41tell us. She always said, "I'm OK."
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Sophie's attacks were landing her in hospital much more frequently,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52but nothing could have prepared the family for what would happen next.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Aged nine, Sophie had her final asthma attack.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01It was sudden and all attempts to revive her failed.
0:04:02 > 0:04:03We never
0:04:03 > 0:04:05in a million years thought
0:04:05 > 0:04:08she would ever die from the asthma,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10and certainly not
0:04:10 > 0:04:12at nine years of age.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14We would have hoped that
0:04:14 > 0:04:17if she was, it would have took her
0:04:17 > 0:04:19a lot later on in life
0:04:19 > 0:04:21rather than so young.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Nothing could ever bring back a loved one.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32But I do believe that in future it should be possible
0:04:32 > 0:04:34to save mothers like Annette
0:04:34 > 0:04:37from experiencing such a devastating loss.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39But that'll only happen if we can properly understand
0:04:39 > 0:04:42the root causes of this all too common condition.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50Thankfully, Asthma UK are funding research in laboratories
0:04:50 > 0:04:53like this, at the MRC-Asthma UK Centre,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56where scientists are dedicating themselves to unravelling
0:04:56 > 0:05:01the mysteries of asthma, and finding new and more effective treatments.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07I've been in asthma research for about 20 years,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10and whilst there's been a very slow but steady accumulation of knowledge
0:05:10 > 0:05:14during that period, I think we're at a really exciting time at the moment.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16And I think over the next ten years, people will discover
0:05:16 > 0:05:19all sorts of things about why people get asthma,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22and we'll be able to design new treatments that are life-changing
0:05:23 > 0:05:23for people with asthma.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27But you get to a point where you need another injection of money
0:05:27 > 0:05:29to be able to translate that in to new therapies,
0:05:29 > 0:05:30and that's what we really need now.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Annette and her family had to come to terms with Sophie's death.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42But the shadow that asthma had cast over their lives hasn't moved away.
0:05:42 > 0:05:48About two years ago, our daughter Leah came in
0:05:48 > 0:05:53and there was a bit of a wheeze and it took us by surprise really.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57And all I could think of was, "Oh, no, please.
0:05:57 > 0:06:03"I hope it's just an infection or something."
0:06:03 > 0:06:08Doctors ran tests, and confirmed that Leah had asthma too.
0:06:08 > 0:06:16I was absolutely devastated thinking, "Oh, no, could it happen again?"
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Annette got in touch with Asthma UK
0:06:19 > 0:06:22and is now able to draw on their wealth of knowledge
0:06:22 > 0:06:25about how to manage Leah's condition.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Asthma UK has really helped us over the last few months
0:06:28 > 0:06:33especially when we found their social media site through Facebook,
0:06:33 > 0:06:38which will tell you how to manage your asthma,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41if you think your asthma is not in control.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43Leah has found that really helpful,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46to explain to her that what happened to Sophie
0:06:46 > 0:06:49isn't going to happen to everybody.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52For Stacian, asthma was so debilitating
0:06:52 > 0:06:55she was making funeral arrangements in her 20s.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58But then she was thrown a lifeline.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01A new drug that researchers had been developing in the lab
0:07:01 > 0:07:04was made available to certain patients.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09Before, I couldn't do normal activities of daily living,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11but then I could walk to the bus stop,
0:07:11 > 0:07:13I could get up and I could cook.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15To me, research is really important
0:07:15 > 0:07:20because if it wasn't for research finding this new treatment, Xolair,
0:07:20 > 0:07:21I would not be here today.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26The drug Xolair isn't a cure, and doesn't work for everyone,
0:07:26 > 0:07:28but it has brought Stacian back from the brink.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31It might take years, I might never live to see it,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34but research might make a difference to someone's life
0:07:34 > 0:07:37where they don't need to go through what I'm going through today.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43250,000 people in the UK have asthma so severe
0:07:43 > 0:07:45that current treatments can't help them.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Asthma research can give these people hope for the future
0:07:47 > 0:07:49by searching for new treatments
0:07:49 > 0:07:52that could give them a good quality of life,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55free from the fear of dying in the next attack.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57With your help, it can.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Please go to the website...
0:08:02 > 0:08:04...where you can donate.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06If you don't have access to
0:08:06 > 0:08:09the internet then call 0800 011 011.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11And if you can't get through,
0:08:11 > 0:08:13please, please, please keep trying.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16You can also donate £10
0:08:16 > 0:08:19by texting DONATE to 70121.
0:08:19 > 0:08:20Texts cost £10 plus your
0:08:20 > 0:08:23standard network message charge
0:08:23 > 0:08:26and the whole £10 goes to ASTHMA UK.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Full terms and conditions can
0:08:28 > 0:08:31be found at bbc.co.uk/lifeline.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Telephone calls are free
0:08:33 > 0:08:34from most landlines.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Some networks and mobile operators
0:08:36 > 0:08:38will charge for these calls.
0:08:38 > 0:08:39Or if you'd like to post a donation,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41please make your cheque payable
0:08:41 > 0:08:43to ASTHMA UK and send it to
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Freepost, BBC Lifeline Appeal,
0:08:46 > 0:08:47writing ASTHMA UK
0:08:47 > 0:08:50on the back of the envelope.
0:08:50 > 0:08:51And if you want the charity
0:08:51 > 0:08:53to claim Gift Aid on your donation,
0:08:53 > 0:08:54please include an email
0:08:54 > 0:08:55or postal address,
0:08:55 > 0:08:57so that they can send you
0:08:57 > 0:08:58a Gift Aid form.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Thank you.