Coolio Raises Asthma Awareness In D.C.

09/14/2000 10:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(9/14/00, 10 a.m. ET) - Rapper Coolio joined forces with U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher in Washington, D.C., yesterday (September 13) to urge people afflicted with asthma to care for themselves properly.

Coolio--who has suffered from the condition all of his life and whose children are also asthma sufferers--said he knows all too well how young people can resist taking their prescribed treatments, but that proper management of the condition can make a significant difference in the quality of an asthmatic's life. Said Coolio, "They are rebelling against the responsibility of managing this disease on a daily basis. I was no different, but I can tell you that when I stopped resisting my asthma treatment and started working with my doctor, my life improved 100 percent. . .with today's medications, I no longer have severe asthma attacks and I am able to perform as a musician and as an actor. I don't let my asthma stop me." Coolio will appear in a series of forthcoming public service announcements targeted to minority youngsters in urban areas.

Dr. Satcher noted that minority communities are hardest hit by the disease. African-American children and young adults are three to four times more likely than white children and young adults to be hospitalized for asthma, and are four to six times more likely to die from it. Dr. Satcher said that raising asthma awareness--especially regarding the elimination of asthma risk factors--must be improved in affected communities, and that health care institutions must find ways to offer more accessible treatment to affected members of these communities.

-- Lucy Tauss, New York

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