Like many children his age, Airyn Carvalho enjoys playing team sports such as soccer, basketball and football. But he has to be careful.

“When I have an asthma attack, I can’t run around. And when I play basketball too hard, I have to stop and catch my breath. ... Sometimes, I cough so hard I feel like I’m going to throw up,” he said.

Airyn, 8, a third-grader at McPherson Elementary School, is one of about 25 children attending Open Air Asthma Camp this weekend at Napa’s Enchanted Hills, a retreat for nonprofit groups.

Sarah Carvalho, Airyn’s mother, said she found out about the camp when Martha Lopez, a McPherson Elementary School employee, called to suggest that Airyn attend.

Parents of children like Airyn must be vigilant about their children’s activities and environmental factors that can bring on asthma attacks.

Carvalho said she strives to keep her son away from cigarette smoke, which can trigger asthmatic episodes. She also works hard to clean up after household pets, since cat and dog dander can also be a problem. Some triggers, like pollen and other outdoor irritants, cannot be helped, she said.

Besides monitoring environmental factors, proper use of medication plays an important role in keeping Airyn’s symptoms manageable. Airyn said he uses two prescription medications, including Flovent, an inhaler which produces a cumulative, preventative effect and Proventil, a fast-acting inhaler.

Carvalho said although her son’s asthma has been under control lately, the family has had a few scares.

“A couple of times, we had to go to the emergency room — once this fall and also about five years ago,” she said. During his hospital visits, she said, Airyn received breathing treatments and didn’t leave until his respiration returned to normal.

Airyn knows he is not alone in dealing with asthma; he said a few of his friends at school are also asthmatic and are aware of his condition.

Sometimes Airyn must curtail sports activities when his symptoms progress. He ran into trouble when his breathing became labored during an Oct. 12 jog-a-thon at McPherson Elementary. “I had to stop the jog-a-thon and go to the office after I only did about 14 laps,” he said.

But Airyn didn’t let the ordeal get him down. Inquisitive, and with a positive attitude on his side, Airyn said he wants to learn more about what causes asthma while he’s at camp this weekend. He said he is also looking forward to the camp’s competitive games.

Nyda Delegeane, a school nurse for the Napa Valley Unified School District, said she and health professionals from other organizations have worked together for about a year to organize the camp, the first of its kind in Napa.

Delegeane said when she learned there was an area camp for diabetic children, she assumed there was also one for asthmatic children. “When I discovered there was no (local) asthma camp, that was the catalyst to see if we could do one in Napa Valley,” she said.

Delegeane said Dr. Larry Posner and Dr. Vinay Gowda of North Bay Allergy & Asthma Medical Associates, along with other health professionals, are lending their expertise at this weekend’s camp. Children attending the camp will learn about the warning signs of asthma, discuss triggers and talk about the array of medicines created to treat asthma. “We’ll do a pre-test and a post-test for the kids and parents to see how much they’ve learned,” she said.

Many parents are attending the camp with their children, and some children who are friends of those with asthma are also attending.

Anthony Escudero, 9, Airyn’s cousin, is joining him at the camp. Anthony, who does not have asthma, is attending to show his support for Airyn and to take part in the camp’s fun and educational activities. Airyn’s mom, who was diagnosed with asthma when she was 25, is also attending.

Open Air Asthma Camp

Open Air Asthma Camp is funded by the Napa Valley Unified School District, Queen of the Valley Regional Medical Center, the American Lung Association of California and Untied Shoelaces, an organization that provides medical assistance to low-income families. The Community Foundation of Napa Valley and Dey Laboratories Inc. are also supporting the event.