40th Anniversary: Honoring Nancy Sander, Founder of Allergy & Asthma Network

In 1985, asthma was a growing public health concern. Cases were on the rise; so were deaths. There was not a lot of information to help families understand asthma or how to take care of it. That’s when one determined mother decided it was time for change.

Nancy Sander lived in Virginia and had a 7-year-old daughter, Brooke, who had severe asthma and allergies. Brooke had countless doctor appointments, sleepless nights and missed school days. And hospitalizations were scariest of all.

They were referred to a special asthma research program at Georgetown University Hospital. There, allergist and immunologist Martha White, MD, helped them learn how to manage Brooke’s asthma. They learned how to use inhalers correctly and began to track Brooke’s symptoms. This knowledge gave them hope and made their lives better.

“It changed our lives,” Nancy said. She wanted to share what she learned.

So in November 1985, Nancy started a newsletter – using a typewriter on her kitchen table – called the Mothers of Asthmatics (MA) Report to help families affected by asthma and allergies. “When I wrote about what we learned, it changed other people’s lives, too,” she said.

What started as a newsletter grew into the Allergy & Asthma Network, a leading national nonprofit organization. Today, Allergy & Asthma Network advances patient-centered care and research, and advocates for better health outcomes, access to care, and treatments for the asthma and allergy community.

Helping Families and Changing Lives

Nancy had a special gift for making hard medical ideas easy to understand. Her book, A Parent’s Guide to Asthma (1989), became a must-read for families. She started the award-winning magazine Allergy & Asthma Today to spotlight peoples’ stories, share practical patient education and news about treatments.

Nancy even launched a website called “Breatherville” to give families online tools and information – a first of its kind.

Nancy didn’t just help families; she spoke up for them too. In 1996, she started Allergy & Asthma Day Capitol Hill (AADCH), an advocacy day in Washington, DC. It became an annual event bringing together patients, families, healthcare providers, industry partners and members of Congress to discuss key issues affecting people with asthma, allergies and related conditions.

Nancy would also serve as the first patient advocate on the coordinating committee of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma.

A Lasting Impact

Nancy’s passion and hard work led to major changes, such as:

• Ensuring students can self-carry their asthma inhaler and epinephrine medicine at school.
• Supporting the first national asthma and food allergy guidelines for physicians and patients.
• Adding dose counters to inhalers so people know how much medicine is left to treat asthma.
• Stopping unsafe practices in medicine manufacturing.
• Changing belief systems about asthma and allergies, leading to new behaviors and outcomes among patients.

Nancy received many awards for her work, including one from the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) – the first non-doctor to earn it. She retired in 2013 after nearly 30 years of service.

As Allergy & Asthma Network celebrates 40 years, millions of patients and families continue to seek out the organization for information and inspiration. Healthcare providers seek us out for the latest news and guidance on patient-centered asthma and allergy care nationwide.

Nancy would often say that solutions to managing asthma and allergies are often practical and within reach. Her story is a powerful reminder that one person’s determination can start a movement – and change millions of lives.