KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Heartland Soccer Association has chosen the American Lung Association of Kansas City to be the non-profit ahead of a fall tournament coming to the Garmin Olathe Soccer Complex.
Two hundred and thirty teams from 16 states will be competing. One player from a local team, Hunter Norton, struggles with asthma.
"It gets frustrating," Norton said. "I’m out of breath more often than usual people."
The 11-year-old said sometimes his disability can make him feel isolated because he doesn't have friends who share the same struggles.
"I feel like if I didn’t have asthma, it wouldn’t keep me like in a bubble," Norton said.
But Norton has an Asthma Action Plan, as encouraged by the American Lung Association.
He said when he's been running for too long and starts to get tired, his coaches will throw him his inhaler while he's on the field. Once he's done, he can throw it right back to them.
Without it, Norton said he wouldn't be able to perform up to his abilities.
"Feels like your lungs are like closing in and in and in," he said.
Linda Crider is the executive director of the American Lung Association for Kansas City. She said nearly 50,000 children in Kansas City struggle with asthma, and while it is common, she said people should take it more seriously.
"My child had asthma symptoms and I didn’t realize how bad it was," Crider said.
However, she said with the proper treatment and consultation from physicians, kids, like Norton, shouldn't have to give up the things they love to do.
"There’s just a lot of education that needs to be out in our community," Crider said.
Hunter has big goals, like playing for or against his idol Lionel Messi, and he's not going to let asthma slow him down.
The American Lung Association offers resources for those who receive the diagnosis. Click here to learn more.
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KSHB 41 reporter Caroline Hogan covers development across the Kansas City area. Share your story idea with Caroline.