Learning not to be ashamed of asthma

When 8-year-old Matthew Gonzalez grows up, he says, he is going to be an “artist, Marine, pet store owner and a police officer.”

He concedes that’s a tall order. So maybe he’ll just be an artist for the Marines.

“I already know how to draw a German Panzer tank,” he says proudly.

Matthew shows off a photo from last Halloween of himself and his father, Gary Gonzalez, a Marine reservist serving his third deployment in Iraq. In the image, Matthew stands on a chair next to his father -- both are in Marine uniform.

“He’s going to be coming home,” Matthew says, “hopefully in time for Halloween.”

One of Matthew’s varied career aspirations reflects the fact that his father -- when he’s not in uniform -- works as a manager at an Alhambra PetSmart. The store is down the street from Matthew’s grandmother’s house, where he and his mother, Vivien, and his 5-year-old sister, Raquel, moved when Gary was first deployed a few years ago. A faded yellow ribbon graces the home’s front window.

Matthew’s mother supports her son’s many ambitions.

“As long as you work hard, you can be anything you want to be,” she tells him.

But she says that despite Matthew’s dreams for his future, he sometimes places limitations on himself. That’s because he’s had moderate to severe asthma since he was a baby.

Matthew says he usually just walks when he plays tag with his friends at Emery Park Elementary. If he runs a lot, he might start gasping for air or coughing like a seal. And even though he says he’s friends with all 19 of the students in his class, sometimes he’s embarrassed to use his inhaler.

“None of my classmates have asthma,” he says.

This July, Matthew will get to meet close to 100 kids who do. He’ll be going to asthma camp in Yucaipa through the Southern California chapter of the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America.

The weeklong session will bring together asthmatic kids from across the region. They’ll get to swim, hike and play sports. Medical specialists there will teach the kids how to better cope with their asthma.

“They’re going to talk to you and show you not to be embarrassed about your asthma -- that it’s OK,” Vivien tells Matthew. He nods.

He says he’s looking forward to swimming at camp. Most of all, he’s excited about the prospect of telling ghost stories.

“I know a really good one,” he says. He’s been practicing how he’s going to tell the story -- about a haunted lighthouse -- to his fellow campers.

“I’m going to bring a sheet and I’m going to cut holes in it, and then I’m going to go into their tents and scare them!”

Matthew is one of about 10,000 underprivileged children who will go to camp this summer thanks to $1.6 million raised last year.

The annual fundraising campaign is part of the Los Angeles Times Family Fund, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, which this year will match the first $1.1 million in contributions at 50 cents on the dollar.

Donations are tax-deductible. For more information, call (213) 237-5771.

To make a credit card donation, visit latimes.com/summercamp. To send checks, use the attached coupon. Do not send cash. Unless otherwise requested, gifts of $50 or more will be acknowledged in The Times.