MILWAUKEE — Star Delarosa never imagined asthma would take her toddler's life. Now, as poor air quality blankets the Milwaukee area, she is sharing his story to warn other families about the deadly risks.
Delarosa's son, Sekani, was diagnosed with asthma at 2 months old.
"He has severe chronic asthma," Delarosa said.
Despite the severity of his condition, Delarosa says doctors felt they were managing it well. Sekani was on daily medication and, even as a toddler, knew when he needed his treatments.
"He was on liquid steroids, he was on an asthma pill every day. For him to be so young, he knew when he needed his treatments. He would go get it and bring it to me or bring it to my older daughter. He knew," Delarosa said.
Watch: Milwaukee mom loses 2-year-old son to asthma attack; warns of dangers as poor air quality grips area
On July 31, 2024, what seemed like a normal morning turned tragic when at the age of 2, Sekani suffered an attack. The family called 911, and an ambulance rushed him to the emergency room.
"He never made it to the hospital. It was just horrible," Delarosa said. "I never, never thought I would lose him due to asthma."
Children's Hospital says even before wildfire smoke caused the current poor air quality and the recent heat wave, they were already seeing an uptick in asthma patients. In June, more than 10 kids were hospitalized, and two children died from asthma complications.
Heat and poor air quality can be major triggers for asthma patients. It is why Delarosa says she is sharing Sekani's story.
"A lot of people take it for granted because probably like me, they don't think you will lose someone to asthma. Something that can be controlled by a medicine, but in reality you don't know when it can happen; you just don't know sometimes," Delarosa said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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