Did you know that Michael Christian Martinez, the first skater from the Philippines and Southeast Asia to qualify for the Olympics, is a winner against asthma?

It’s quite ironic that someone like Michael has asthma considering the fact that he dwells most of the time in cold temperature and undergoes strenuous training in figure skating which demands a lot of spinning, jumping, and step sequences. Despite all these factors that could trigger an asthma attack, the young winter Olympian is a proud winner against the disease.

Michael reveals that he began experiencing asthmatic bronchitis when he was just two months old. As a child he would just stay home most of the time. But as he grew up, he developed a love for the sport that motivated him to fight the limitations of having asthma–figure skating.

He recalls being in the hospital frequently and says the cold rink actually helped improve his health. “Year after year my health keeps improving, so my mother fully supported me to continue skating saying it’s better to spend the money on skating than in the hospital.”

Now, because of his passion in figure skating, Michael gets to travel in different parts of the world to compete and to train. He even made history as the first Filipino and first Southeast Asian athlete to qualify for the Winter Olympics. Remember how proud we all are as Filipinos last year when he made it to the medal round in Sochi Olympics? He was also the first figure skater from the tropical zone to compete in the prestigious quadrennial meet!

On February 5, 2015, GSK introduced Michael as the new face of the #WinnerAgainstAsthma advocacy. Michael, on the other hand, spearheaded the Search for Winners Against Asthma 2015. The campaign aims to choose and recognize 10 young asthmatic achievers 30 years and younger who are outstanding in their respective fields despite having asthma and inspire asthma sufferers that they, too, can win against asthma.

The rationale for the target age group is driven by the fact that asthma is one of the most important chronic disease during childhood causing substantial morbidity. People within this age group are in the process of developing the necessary knowledge and skills that will enable them to achieve their goals in life and asthma should not deter them from realizing their full potential. Thus it is necessary at this early stage to raise their awareness on asthma and how they can win against it.

Who are eligible to join?

• Asthma patient diagnosed by a qualified physician
• Between 10 to 30 years old
• Filipino citizen or person permanently residing in the Philippines
• An achiever in his/her chosen field (sports, academics, arts, etc.)

How to Join?

• Visit the Facebook page Win Against Asthma
  (www.facebook.com/WinAgainstAsthma)
• Click on “The Search for Winners” App
• Answer the questionnaire or share your video

What’s in store for the 10 winners?

• P25,000-worth of Sodexo gift certificates
• 1 Huawei P7 smartphone
• P5,000-worth of Folded and Hung gift certificates
• prestige of joining Kim Chiu, Arnel Pineda and Michael Martinez as the faces of #WinnerAgainstAsthma advocacy campaign

What are the dates to remember?

• March 31, 2015: deadline for submission of entries
• First week of April 2015: screening of all entries submitted
• May 5, 2015 (World Asthma Day): announcement of top 20 finalists
• 3rd week of May 2015: announcement and Awarding of Top 10 winners

This advocacy campaign is supported by the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP), Philippine Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP), Philippine Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (PSAAI), Huawei and Folded & Hung.

For more information about this advocacy, visit www.facebook.com/winagainstasthma.