A Story of Survival - Chapter 3

Within six months, the Jones’ had a new home in the richer part of the neighbourhood with other young families around. For once, they had a backyard where Nancy could play. She had space to learn how to ride her cycle and was surrounded with plenty of kids to make friends. David had enough money left over to buy a new car and had a five-minute commute to work every day. Sophia had time to walk to the mall and movie theatre, and take Nancy to her new school. The thriving city life exploded around them in their one year of living there.

One Sunday morning, Sophia and David sat on their front porch watching Nancy play with her friends. The kids started a running competition on the road in front of their houses, so their parents could watch. When it was Nancy’s turn to run, she stood confidently at the starting line. Waving to her parents, she took off down the street. Her parents cheered for her, while everyone else hooted and hollered.

Just as Nancy was about to run through the yellow ribbon at the finish line, she collapsed. She was on the ground, struggling to breathe. David and Sophia rushed towards their daughter. David held her in his arms, shouting at Sophia to call the hospital emergency service. The ambulance came to pick her up, sirens blaring, and the paramedics put her on oxygen with a mask covering her nose and mouth. Nancy laid on the stretcher in the back, with her parents by her side. Sophia tried not to cry, and David held Nancy’s hand.

They arrived at the hospital, and David and Sophia had to stay in the waiting room while the doctor examined her. It felt like an eternity to them before a doctor finally came out. “Mr. and Mrs. Jones?” Dr. Thomas called out.

“Yes, that’s us!” Sophia said, rushing up to him, squeezing David’s hand and pulling him along. “Is my daughter okay?”

“She’s perfectly fine,” Dr. Thomas said.

“When can we see her?” David asked.

The doctor gestured for them to follow him, bringing them to their daughter’s bedside. Sophia stroked Nancy’s hair, watching her sleep. “What happened?” she asked.

“We’ve looked into it carefully, and we’ve diagnosed that your daughter has Asthma,” the doctor explained, “Being exposed to the city and the air pollution that comes with it is a very common cause these days, especially in young kids.”

“Asthma?” David said softly, “We did this to her. We gave her asthma by bringing her to the city! This is all my fault!”

“Don’t place blame, Mr. Jones,” Dr. Thomas said, “In our society, it’s very hard to escape breathing in all the fossil fuels created by cars and and pollutants from factories. Nancy could have gone years without developing this condition, but it’s easily treatable with an inhaler.”

“What else can we do to help her?” Sophia asked.

“Of course, she still needs physical activity,” he replied, “But keep a close eye on her and inform her and her friends and teachers about what she needs. Also, it couldn’t hurt to move somewhere a little farther away from the city, away from so much air pollution.”

“We already have a backyard. Shouldn’t that be enough greenery?” David piped up.

“It is possible that Nancy’s condition developed through other means, but this is the most plausible considering your family’s medical history. It could be beneficial for you to move to a more quiet, greener suburb.”