Sarah Michelle Gellaris here to remind you: For many, COVID-19 isn’t just a cold. The Buffy the Vampire Slayerstar revealed in an Instagram Story on Monday, June 13, 2022, that because of her life-long asthma and lung issues, she’s having a “tough” time with the illness despite being vaccinated and boosted. “I realize I’ve been really quiet on here. After two and a half years COVID finally got me. Thankfully I’m vaccinated and boosted. But to those out there that say ‘it’s just a cold’ …maybe for some lucky people it is. But for this (relatively) young fit person, who has struggled with asthma and lung issues her entire life, that is not my experience,” Gellar, 45, wrote. “Even with therapeutics and all my protocols it’s been tough,” she continued. “I know I’m on the road to recovery, but it’s certainly not been an easy road. I’ll be back soon (hopefully with super antibodies…even if just for a bit).” She concluded her post, “To quote a friend of mine - ‘I will wear a mask in my shower if that means I don’t get this again.’” Gellar didn’t specify whether husband Freddie Prinze, Jr.or their son Rocky, 9, and daughter Charlotte, 10, were also infected. “Asthma is a chronic lung disease that causes your airways to narrow and get inflamed, making it hard for you to breathe,” Dr. Victoria Glass, MD, previously told Parade.com. Asthma can be triggered by a number of things, including allergens, exercise, stress and even weather changes. Others may find that perfumes, pets and even disinfectants and cleaners can impact their ability to breathe. Symptoms of asthma include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, pain and difficulty breathing. “Even when people who aren’t asthmatic know that feeling, like when you’re choking or something and you just cannot get that air,” Gellar previously told Health. “I was diagnosed with asthma as a young child. I honestly don’t remember my life prior to being diagnosed—my mother is asthmatic, both my children are asthmatic and even my husband suffers from it occasionally.” “These last two years we’ve obviously been faced with a pandemic that is a viral respiratory illness. You realize how much is really at stake for anyone like myself who suffers,” the Scooby Dooactress added. “When the pandemic first hit, anyone with asthma knows that breathing is a challenge, and it’s something we have to think about. If we were to get COVID, even though I’m extremely healthy and young, my body would have a harder time fighting that, living through it, breathing through it.” Asthma is also common: It affects 25 million Americans, or 1 in 13 people, and it’s one of the leading chronic conditions diagnosed in children, meaning someone you know and love probably has it. According to the CDC, moderate to severe asthma sufferers are more likely than others to be hospitalized if infected with COVID-19, so if you or someone you love has asthma, it’s important to continue taking proper precautions to prevent COVID-19 infection—and yes, Gellar is right: That still includes masking. Next, these 17 books about asthma will make you feel less alone and give you some creative coping tools.
