USAID Update: Brooke is cleared and Kevin still has Asthma

Okay, so its official. Brooke has been deemed healthy enough to earn "Unlimited Clearance for Worldwide Assignment." So, what does this really mean? At this juncture, nothing much because I am the one actually applying for the job. Although if my clearance goes through, then Brooke would be cleared to accompany me pretty much wherever around the world. She is healthy and that is indeed good news enough.

As for my clearance, we expected it to be a little more arduous due to my asthma. So far, we were right. Asthma is a catch-all diagnosis for general wheezing, tightness in the chest, and bronchiospasms. The problem is that all "asthma" cases will vary greatly in severity, triggers, and frequency. We always hear about the severe asthma cases, especially the deaths, and therefore, some assume that all asthmatics are high risk cases. This is not true and is perpetuated by the media.

My sister, Erin and I had a conversation about how feeble and anxious asthmatics are portrayed in movies, commercials, and whatnot. Nike's "Lebron versus Kobe" puppet commercials were the most recent offender (see picture). This portrayal feeds the misconception that all asthmatics should probably just stay at home to avoid any semi-rigorous activity that may trigger a fatal attack at any moment. The fact is that Asthma can be successfully controlled by medicine and a healthy lifestyle - even in the worst cases. Many people only have symptoms when they have a viral infection. Some "asthmatics" may never need medicine. So, it is easy to forget that many great athletes have asthma which neither makes them feeble, or any less able to lead a normal productive life than anyone else. Some examples of "asthmatic athletes" include: Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Art Monk, Isaiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, Greg Louganis, and marathon runner Alberto Salazar. And yes, some of these "asthmatic athletes" are not retired.

Okay, Okay... thanks for allowing me to vent. In reality, I understand that at face value it is difficult to determine the severity of an asthma case without some degree of verification through testing and patient history. To this point, I knew that once I sent my medical forms in to the government, the Office of Medical Services would be obligated to follow up on my Asthma. Yes, it is frustrating, but I know that they have to do it. Granted, I am a little more sensitive to this because it took me about 1 year to be cleared for Peace Corps service, which wasn't due to the severity of my asthma, but rather the bureaucracy involved with clearing someone who checks asthma off on the medical form. I still feel punished for just trying to be honest.

Back to the current situation, when we first sent in our completed paperwork for USAID, we soon received a letter from the Department of State, Office of Medical Services. It explained that, although there was no guarantee, the approximate waiting time for a response for Medical Clearance was 21 days. Well, as you guessed it, 21 days has come and gone. For my part, I sent two emails to the Office of Medical Services this week, but all I was told was that the review nurse had yet to see our files. Well, today - on the 27th day - I finally received an email from the reviewing nurse. It stated that she needed more information from the doctor regarding my Asthma (how predictable?) including results from a Spirometry, which tests overall lung capacity and the presence of any obstructions in the lungs. As soon as I read the email, I quickly called my Doctor, who got me in right away. I took the Spirometry (which was normal) and our Doctor used strong language to explain - in my patient history form - that if I even have asthma, then my asthma is certainly extremely well controlled and should not disqualify me - in anyway - from service.

Although, the Office of Medical Services originally sent me the email at 9:30EST, we were able to complete the tests and get the results back to DC by 1:30EST. Wow, that was quicker than I ever imagined it could be done. Of course, our Doctor was very instrumental in enabling the fast turnaround. Apparently, she has a son who has done international development in Central America, so she was delighted to expedite my request. In my gratitude, I promised her a postcard from our first overseas assignment, wherever that may be.

Looking forward,the reviewing nurse emailed me to say that see would receive the documents in electronic form within 24hours. I expect good things soon.