Barbara Bacon, 62, is a busy accounting and human resources professional and a devoted grandmother of two: 10-year-old Aryana and 7-year old Conner. Maintaining her happy work/life balance requires her to always be on the alert for one health threat: worsening asthma. This condition narrows the airways in the lungs, causing wheezing, shortness of breath and other symptoms. In Maryland, 10.8% of adults have asthma, according to the Maryland Department of Health.
Bacon has lived with severe, hard-to-control asthma for around 25 years. A decade ago, she began seeing Funlola Famuyiwa, MD (pictured). Known as “Dr. Lola” to her patients, Dr. Famuyiwa is a pulmonary critical care specialist with UM Shore Medical Group – Pulmonary Care at Easton. She has helped Bacon control her flare-ups, which occur when triggers such as allergies or cold air prompt asthma symptoms. Flare-ups can make breathing difficult.
“Barbara used to have several asthma flare-ups throughout the year and required a lot of prednisone, a steroid, to calm her symptoms,” Dr. Famuyiwa said. “In 2019, when new, injectable medicines for asthma became available, we switched her to one of them. As a biologic medication used to treat moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, asthma, eosinophilic esophagitis, and other inflammatory conditions, this medication has been a game-changer for her. She has had fewer flare-ups and less need for steroids.”
Bacon views Dr. Famuyiwa as her most valuable resource in controlling her flare-ups.
“Dr. Lola makes me feel like we’re a team,” Bacon said. “She’s the leader who puts together a management plan, helping me understand what medicines to take at home, ensuring I have access to them and educating me about when to seek additional help. She’s personable, kind and reassuring.”
Flare-up From Nowhere
For a long time, Bacon’s asthma was well-controlled. The every-other-week injected medication worked so well that she was able to stop taking her other asthma medicine. She didn’t have a flare-up for more than two years. Then, in early March 2025, everything changed.
“On March 3rd, I worked all day and felt tired but had no symptoms of illness,” Bacon said. “I got home around 7 pm and could tell my chest was starting to tighten, so I did a breathing treatment. It didn’t help. I took prednisone, hoped the symptoms would settle and decided I would call Dr. Lola in the morning.”
The symptoms quickly worsened, though. Later that evening, a family member drove Bacon to the Emergency Department (ED) at UM Shore Medical Center at Easton. She was admitted to the hospital soon after.
“Barbara was in severe respiratory distress when I met her,” said Rhiannon Lambert, MSN, RN (pictured), a nurse practitioner with UM Shore Medical Group – Pulmonary Care. “She had chest tightness and couldn’t take a full breath. Her voice was hoarse, she was wheezing, and she had a frequent cough and contractions, or spasms, of her airway muscles.”
Finding a Cause and Creating a Plan
Testing revealed the reason for Bacon’s flare-up: flu. The virus, a well-known trigger of asthma symptoms, can worsen airway swelling. The medical team started Bacon on an antiviral to treat the flu, but the bigger concern was getting her asthma under control. Fortunately, a doctor who knew Bacon’s health history was on-call when she arrived: Dr. Famuyiwa.
“I recognized Barbara’s name right away,” Dr. Famuyiwa said. “Caring for her in the clinic was beneficial because I knew her history. Knowing a patient’s treatment plan on the outpatient side allows us to help them recover more quickly if they have to be hospitalized.”
Dr. Famuyiwa knew Bacon’s flare-ups were difficult to control, and also that she would need an extremely high dose of steroids because she had responded to that care strategy in the past. Treatment began in the ED and continued after Bacon was admitted to the hospital, where she spent most of her stay on the medical-surgical floor.
Bacon received steroids through an IV (a tube in a vein) and was given medicines through a nebulizer, which is a machine that converts liquid medicines into an inhalable mist, and used a device to clear mucus from her airway. She also performed breathing exercises.
Start-and-Stop Recovery
Progress toward recovery wasn’t straightforward. Bacon remained in the hospital for 18 days.
“I would feel better with my breathing, and the medical team would taper my steroids, but then I would get worse again,” she said. “As a result, I would have to return to a higher dose and start over.”
Despite the frustratingly slow pace of her recovery, Bacon marveled at the care she received, especially from Lambert, who saw her daily.
“Rhiannon is an amazing person,” Bacon said. “She spent time with me to assess how I was doing. She was honest when she didn’t like how my breathing sounded but always reassured me that I would get better and that it would just take time. Sometimes, she would return a second time to see how my day was or to let me know about a change to my care plan.
“My time in the hospital was mentally and physically tough, but Rhiannon played a big part in improving it,” Bacon continued. “I’m very thankful for her.”
As the days passed, Bacon’s airway gradually opened, and she could do daily activities without much shortness of breath.
“We tapered and adjusted Barbara’s medications to the point where she could continue them at home,” Lambert said. “She had improved tremendously by the time she was discharged from the hospital. She wasn’t quite back to her baseline level of respiratory functioning, but she’d come so far compared to when I first met her in the Emergency Department.”
Bacon went home on her 62nd birthday!
Back In Control
Nearly a year after the flare-up and hospitalization, Bacon feels like herself again. She continues to see Dr. Famuyiwa regularly.
“I continue to follow the plan Dr. Lola set for me and try not to worry about returning to the hospital,” Bacon said. “She took me off the medicines I needed during the flare-up and after returning home. I’m back to just taking oral medication.”
Bacon encourages others with asthma to educate themselves about the condition and how to manage flare-ups.
“It’s important to realize how quickly an asthma flare-up can become life-threatening,” she said. “Don’t wait to get help if you need it. You can control asthma and have a normal quality of life. Don’t be afraid to speak up when you know something isn’t right with your asthma, and if you go to the Emergency Department, ask to see the pulmonologist who is on-call.”
With a caring specialist in her corner and a firm belief in the power of advocating for herself, Bacon can look forward to making more memories with her grandchildren without asthma getting in the way.
“I appreciate the people who come to work each day at UM Shore Regional Health and give their best to help people get better and go home from the hospital. This community is lucky to have them.” — Barbara Bacon, who was hospitalized with an asthma flare-up for 18 days in March 2025
Need a doctor who can help you manage asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or another lung condition on the Eastern Shore? Call 410-822-0110 to schedule an appointment with a pulmonologist or visit the website.