Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Corey was delivered a healthy full-term baby. Right after Corey reached 1-year-old, he started having health problems. A local hospital diagnosed him with asthma and severe food and environmental allergies. Things such as changes in the atmosphere and severe allergies to grass and wood-chips prevented Corey from living like a normal child for the first few years of his life.

Affectionately called “bubble boy” by his mother, Corey had to be more careful than most children, even his siblings, when venturing out into the world. In June 2006, the Daniel family moved to California. Five months later, Corey was hospitalized and it was then that he was introduced to the Pulmonary, Allergy, Asthma and Cystic Fibrosis Center care team at Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach.

Under the care of Eliezer Nussbaum, M.D., medical director, pediatric pulmonary, allergy, asthma and cystic fibrosis center, Miller Children’s, and Inderpal S. Randhawa, M.D., allergist, immunologist and pediatric pulmonologist, Miller Children’s, Corey was able to manage his condition; and his family had found a new place to help support him. That year Corey was hospitalized twice, and every year after that the hospitalizations increased until February 2013 when Dr. Randhawa identified that Corey suffers from an autoimmune disease. This further complicates his ability to recover when he has an asthma attack or allergic reaction.

“Many of our patients, like Corey, have complex disorders, so the care team needs to be able to correctly diagnose them and deliver modern treatments,” says Dr.Randhawa. “With our cohesive group of experts who specialize in complex pulmonary disorders we are able to deliver effective and consistent care.”

Dr. Randhawa has since been helping Corey and his mother, Samone, learn how to control his asthma and allergies. Taking all of Corey’s diagnoses into consideration, Dr. Randhawa has now begun devising a care plan for Corey to help him control his symptoms and give him a better quality of life than he had before.

“The Pulmonary Center has been able to identify triggers and devise a ‘game-plan’ to help Corey live a healthy and happy life,” says Samone Daniel, Corey’s mother. “Now Corey is able to be active for longer periods of time without having an asthma attack, and he can go outside when the weather changes without me having to worry so much about his allergies. Dr. Randhawa and his care team also have helped me learn how to monitor Corey’s asthma and allergies so that we can make changes at home that will improve his health.”

Due to his unique allergies Corey can only eat a few types of food (apples, pears, bananas, grapes, cantaloupe, watermelon, brown and white rice, couscous, white and sweet potatoes, turkey and tilapia) but, he is able to indulge in his favorite food, In-N-Out® French fries.

With his updated care plan, Corey can now do more of the thing he likes such as spending time outside with his family and heading out to the basketball court to shoot some hoops.