'We don't let asthma define us' say dad and two children with the condition

With 50 to 55 asthma-related deaths in Ireland this year, a family affected by the condition tells Helen O’Callaghan about what it’s like living with asthma; and a respiratory consultant shares his advice for parents of asthmatic children

Mike McDonagh with his children Michael Junior and Clodagh. Picture: Ray Ryan

As a dad of two children with asthma, Mike McDonagh knows what it is like to feel completely helpless watching your toddler have an attack.

His now 16-year-old daughter, Clodagh, was only two when she got her first serious asthma episode.