When the Cayman Islands boxers fought in Jamaica over the weekend everybody finished their bouts in good health, win or lose – except the sole female, Jessica McFarlane-Richards who collapsed from a severe asthma attack.
It was not the first time she needed medical attention after a bout, but this was the worse one yet which needed an overnight stay in a Kingston hospital not just from the asthma but also for concussion. It was daybreak before she was well enough to be discharged and even then she was far from 100 per cent. Thankfully, she was given the all clear to return to Cayman on Sunday night but the memory of her suffering in the ring after losing to Jamaican rival Felice Groves for the third time in four clashes, weighed heavily on everybody’s minds. The show had eight bouts – including one pro contest – and Jessica’s was one of the best.
Had she been in better shape it could have been even more exciting and Jessica may have repeated the win over Groves at the D Dalmain Ebanks Gym
in October. McFarlane-Richards collapsed after that fight then and had to have attention from Dr Angella Glidden.
Several champion athletes past and present have suffered from exercise-induced asthma but not allowed their careers to be hampered by it. Prime examples are Paul Scholes, Paula Radcliffe, Dennis Rodman, Mark Spitz and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
Despite repeated calls to quit such a physically demanding sport like boxing, Jessica, 27 and a mother of two, is not prepared just yet to hang up her gloves.
“The fight against Groves didn’t turn out exactly how I wanted it to,” McFarlane-Richards said. “I didn’t have much time to prepare properly for it, maybe two weeks. But I went in and gave it my best and at the end it was her that came out victorious this time. I only managed to spar once or twice so really wasn’t really in the right condition for this fight but I went in there and gave it my best which is all that I could do.
“I was in hospital and a lot of people would prefer that I gave it up because I have my asthma and I do have a concussion but I’m not ready to give it up just yet. I’m looking to be in boxing for a while. I’m looking to go pro in a few years.
“The asthma is something that I’m definitely looking into getting dealt with. I’m not sure what the doctors can do. I’m looking into different medications for it. I think what happened against Groves was that I didn’t have my inhalers as I needed them during the day. So that played a big part in it as well. One of the pumps wasn’t working and another one ran out. I was supposed to get some new inhalers in Jamaica but that didn’t happen.”
Boxing coach Donie Anglin has guided Jessica since she started boxing nine years ago. He went to hospital with her in Kingston. He said: “Before we went to Jamaica I asked Jessica to stop boxing, not because of her skill level but because she has so many complications. Asthma is one thing then she also has a back problem. But she says she is not stopping. I told her now so that in future she will be safe.
“In this fight she was not in the best condition. I spent the whole night in the hospital with her and really felt shaken and told her to just quit but she won’t. She can stay involved in boxing as a trainer or official and still work out.”
A
sthma can be controlled
Asthma is a disease that involves inflammation in the airways. Exposure to an allergen, irritant or activity that irritates those inflamed airways causes muscles around the airways to tighten up and twitch (bronchospasm), making sufferers cough, wheeze and have trouble breathing. In extreme cases people have died from it. The way to reduce symptoms and help bursting lungs deal with the stress of exercise, is to control inflammation and minimise exposure to allergens and irritants.
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