Scare urged her to learn how to help asthmatic boy.
By
Jennifer L. Boen
of The News-Sentinel
Ellen Byerly has been a day-care provider in her south-side Fort Wayne home for more than 10 years.
"I've taken care of a lot of kids through the years. I'm very conscientious, and I feel confident about what I do," said Byerly. Then came one of the scariest times she's experienced as a care-giver to children.
Sixteen-month-old Grayen Bowers had a history of colds, ear infections and eczema, but that January afternoon he seemed to sleep more soundly than usual.
"When he woke up from his nap, he just didn't look right. I could hear rattling in his chest and knew he was having a hard time breathing," Byerly said. She called Grayen's mother and kept a close watch on the baby.
"I kept watching the clock. I was worried about him, but I didn't have anything to give him."
Grayen's mom arrived shortly and took her son to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with asthma.
Since then, Byerly has decided to learn as much as she can about the disease, which was the cause of death for 300 U.S. children under age 5 between 1990 and 1997, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
Byerly is concerned many day-care providers may not know the symptoms and what to do if a child has an attack.
Jill Wagner, community advocate for the Child Care and Education Partnership in Allen County, said the number of working women needing day care has more than doubled since 1972.
She encourages day-care providers to learn about the disease to protect children and save lives.
"I never knew about asthma because I'd never taken care of a child with it before," Byerly said. "Now I realize how dangerous it can be. Other child-care workers should know about this disease ... a child's life could depend on it."
