A Lifelong Advocate
Mia was diagnosed with asthma as a baby and has volunteered with RHA since she was four, when she joined her parents at Hustle up the Hancock. Today she’s a fourth-year mechanical engineering student at Illinois Institute of Technology who hopes to design roller coasters. She also competes internationally as an Irish dancer and founded Choose to Breathe, a nonprofit working to increase inhaler use and end the stigma around asthma.
A Full Circle Moment
Growing up, Mia didn’t want to use her inhaler in front of others, and she started Choose to Breathe so today’s kids don’t feel that way. As an elementary student at Pritzker, she sat through RHA’s Fight Asthma Now (FAN) program. Now Choose to Breathe donates inhaler covers to FAN for students in schools across Chicago. Follow her work at @miarosefa_choosetobreathe on Instagram and Choose to Breathe on TikTok.
Advocacy in Action
Mia has attended Advocacy Day in Springfield since she was six, and she has seen firsthand what policy change can do. Before Cap the Copay, her family spent about $6,000 a year on inhalers, paying $300 for each one even with insurance. Now her inhaler costs $25. “I seriously still don’t believe it,” she said. “It truly does make a difference.”
Getting Involved
For anyone thinking about getting involved, Mia’s advice is simple. “Anything that you can do can make a difference,” she said. “It’s really easy to get involved at RHA. Everybody is so nice and so encouraging, and whether it’s one event or you keep coming back, it’s really appreciated no matter what.”