Leading with Courage: Rennisha's Story

I was eight years old, running with my classmates at school, when I first noticed my chest felt extremely tight. I assumed that if I gave it some time, the feeling would go away. Instead, the tightness lasted throughout the day and into the night, until my parent noticed I was wheezing heavily. I was taken to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with asthma.

When I was younger, I felt helpless during my asthma attacks because I didn’t understand the disease. All I knew was that my chest would tighten for hours, leaving me unable to breathe properly, and that after treatment I wasn’t allowed to consume anything cold.

As time went on, my asthma attacks became so severe that I lost consciousness in public places—including at school, while traveling, and even in a mall changing room.

On December 18, 2022, I woke up with a tight chest and assumed it was a typical asthma attack. I took my inhaler, expecting relief, but instead my chest became even tighter. Unable to handle the pain any longer, I went to the doctor for a nebulizer treatment. Unlike my previous attacks, I could barely inhale, and my breathing produced a wet wheezing sound.

After the treatment, I assumed everything would return to normal and headed home. Once again, I was wrong. My breathing worsened rapidly, forcing me to return to the doctor. An X-ray revealed that my asthma attack had caused fluid buildup in my lungs. It took nearly a month for me to fully recover.

After that painful experience—along with hearing numerous ignorant comments about asthma and realizing how many people silently suffer from it—I began to ask myself: Why isn’t asthma spoken about enough in the Virgin Islands?

Over time, I thought about how I could effectively bring awareness to this condition. Should I create a page? Use my personal social media? Then it hit me—why not create a nonprofit organization dedicated entirely to asthma awareness?

That idea became Asthma Action.

After graduating in 2024 and moving back home, I took action. What began as pain, fear, and misunderstanding evolved into purpose—giving rise to Asthma Action, an organization dedicated to raising awareness, educating, and advocating for those living with asthma.

Growing up, asthma was a constant challenge for me and my sisters. Getting sick meant more than a sore throat or body aches—it meant struggling to breathe and enduring frequent, frightening attacks. I spent many nights with nebulizer treatments, which, though uncomfortable, were necessary for relief.

As I got older, my symptoms improved, and I was able to put those memories behind me. But in May 2025, my family suffered a devastating loss when my brother, who had severe asthma, passed away from an attack. None of us ever imagined asthma would take him from us.

When I was invited to join a nonprofit dedicated to spreading asthma awareness, I saw it as an opportunity to help prevent others from experiencing what my family went through. This is why I’m committed to making a difference in the fight against asthma