Chris North

Thirteen year old Christopher was just a few months old when he first suffered difficulties with his breathing. Following a cold he was hospitalised numerous times in his first year before being diagnosed with asthma.

Christopher takes twice daily doses of medication to keep his asthma under control. His allergy to peanuts was also discovered during infancy after he developed swelling and rashes all over his body while being breast fed. He carries an epi-pen for his allergies.

Since Christopher started using the Smartinhaler he has been able to play sport again. He is a keen soccer player and loves mountain biking. He enjoys drawing, model making, graphic arts on his computer and has a keen interest in motorsport.

Chris lives in Auckland with his mother Karen and younger sister Victoria. Christopher attends Howick College.


Making a difference in asthma
Cure Kids never stops looking for cures for life-threatening illnesses that affect children. Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children in New Zealand as well as being a common cause of hospital admission in children, in fact 550,000 school days are lost to asthma each year. Almost half of the children with asthma in New Zealand have asthma that is not well controlled.

Cure Kids is funding groundbreaking research into a cool reminder device which tells asthma sufferers to take their medication. Kids can download tunes and ringtones removing a barrier for compliance. Parents and medical practitioners are also able to monitor a child’s compliance as the Smartinhaler sends accurate information electronically to an email account.

There is no current cure for asthma. The Smartinhaler helps children become well controlled so that they can lead a normal life.