Back On Track

Kaellagh Cassidy

Before she came to Loyola, 22-year-old Kaellagh Cassidy thought she’d never run again.

“The doctors told me to stop running,” said Kaellagh, who has been a runner since sixth grade. “They said they just didn’t think my asthma could take it. I remember being at one doctor’s office, and she was telling me that I should think about taking up golf. I was just in tears. I was sad and worried that I wouldn’t be able to run again. Or be an athlete. Then, my mom suggested we go somewhere else."

Kaellagh’s mother brought Kaellagh to Loyola to see Dr. Annick Gaye.

“I remember when I first went to see Dr. Gaye,” Kaellagh said. ”She put her hand on my shoulder and she gave me a big hug. She said, it’ll be okay. We’ll get you running again. We want you to live your life like a normal teenager. She was just wonderful. She understood me and what I wanted to do. She understood I had goals.”

Although it’s primarily used to treat older patients, Kaellagh's doctor recommended a new monthly allergy shot for Kaellagh because she thought it would help her unique situation.

Kaellagh says her doctor's treatment plan quickly put her back on the right track.

“Before, when I ran, I would have an asthma attack at least a couple times a week,” Kaellagh said. “All of a sudden I’d get a pain in my chest and it would be hard to breathe. I’d have to stop my workout. But the shot really made a huge difference right away. Now I only take my inhaler with me if it’s really cold or if I’m planning a really hard workout.”

Kaellagh ran the Chicago Marathon last fall. She just ran the Boston Marathon and finished in three hours, 39 minutes – a time better than more than half the 26,000+ runners.