Health advocate spotlight: Heather Ward shares her asthma journey, what it was like to appear on 'American Idol'

On Topic, Off Script host, journalist Brian Mastroianni sits down with Heather Ward to discuss her asthma advocacy and partnership with AstraZeneca.

Based out of Fort Worth, Texas, Heather Ward is an application software builder for hospitals and is a proud mom of two.

Heather joins On Topic, Off Script today, in partnership with AstraZeneca, to share her personal health journey with asthma.

Born with a collapsed lung as a premature baby, Heather was diagnosed with asthma at the age of 5. This has been a thread that’s carried through her whole life. At age 11, she almost died from a flare-up, and over the years, she’s gone through trial and error with a number of medications and treatments. Things subsided until her second pregnancy, when her life was upended once again when her asthma reemerged.

Earlier this year, she was prescribed Airsupra, a medication that has seen her experience a difference in her lungs right away. Research published this year in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that this medication significantly reduced the risk of a severe asthma attack by 47% compared to as-needed albuterol. 

For the record, this podcast episode is neither influenced nor sponsored by a pharmaceutical company. 

Brian sits down with Heather to learn more about her journey with asthma, how her passion for singing brought her to appear on American Idol (!), and what others can take away from her experiences. 

The New England Journal of Medicine: Study, AstraZeneca press release

Asthma resources: American Lung Association Asthma Resources Library, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Allergy & Asthma Network

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