Jonas Miller, 12, leaned back on his living room couch, iPad in one hand, Asthma Action Plan in the other. A few moments later, his mom Elizabeth sat beside him. Time for their 8 a.m. appointment with his allergist. Within minutes, Jonas was describing his persistent cough to the allergist, face-to-face via FaceTime videochat.

Barbara Pittenger can still hear the calming voice of Prem Menon, MD, talking to her 11-year-old daughter in his Baton Rouge, Louisiana office. Haley was recovering from an allergic reaction caused by accidental ingestion of peanut. She felt scared. Menon spoke, Barbara watched the worry slowly disappear from Haley’s face.

Sierra Petersen sits upright, legs folded beneath her, arms outstretched as if welcoming air. Eyes closed, mind clear, she takes in a slow, deep breath through her nose. This is Petersen’s favorite time of the day, when she can sit on the floor, any floor, and breathe easy. It hasn’t always been that way.

Eight-year-old Abigail arrives at school every morning with her green and pink polka-dot medical bag on her shoulder. Inside, she carries her asthma inhaler and an epinephrine auto-injector in case she experiences an allergic reaction to one of her food allergens: eggs, peanuts and tree nuts. Abigail’s fourth-grade classmates are well aware of her asthma and food allergies.

When Diane, a 22-year-old graduate student at the University of Maryland, packed for a three-week study abroad course in Morocco in winter 2013, she never thought she would need her epinephrine auto-injector. Diane figured she had long outgrown her food allergies. She hadn’t had an allergic reaction to peanut since 2000 – when she was 9 years old.

Sloane Miller’s boyfriend had a surprise for her. He created a short rhyme to help him remember how to use her epinephrine auto-injector in case she experienced a food allergy emergency. “It was really sweet,” she said. “My friends and romantic partners are very accepting of my food allergies, as well as my asthma, environmental allergies and eczema.

Ten-year-old Mia Catalini stood at the front of the classroom, scanning a poster board full of categories and 100- to 500-point questions. She pulled out a 100-point question card under “What Would You Do?” and read it aloud.

For most NFL rookies, the adjustment from being a star athlete in high school and college – the Big Man on Campus, so to speak – to blending in with NFL veterans can be difficult. The competition is intensified and the schedule is demanding. Perhaps not so obvious is that young NFL athletes must also take fitness and nutrition more seriously.

Inside the white lines of the football field, Stephen Bowen clears his mind. “Concentrate,” he tells himself as he lines up for another play. More than any other year of Bowen’s 6-year NFL career, concentration has been a challenge this season. The 6-5, 305-pound defensive end has endured two family tragedies in the last six months.

It’s natural for her to help others, even when she needs help herself. So it was appropriate that on Tuesday, Oct. 11, Pica found herself at Redskins Park, feeling as if she were a part of the Redskins team, part of the Redskins family. She was one of 20 area women battling breast cancer invited to the Fourth Annual All-Star Survivors Celebration at the Redskins’ facility.

In his introductory press conference on Tuesday at Redskins Park, McNabb would stay even-keeled, no matter how hard reporters pressed him. Here was a prime opportunity for the 6-4, 230-pound quarterback to sound off on his 11 seasons in Philadelphia. His tenure with the Eagles had plenty of highlights, including an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIX.

Taylor, a six-time Pro Bowl defensive end, was on his way to the quarterback--and a sack. But it showcased Taylor’s considerable skills as an elite NFL pass rusher. The Redskins acquired Taylor in a trade with the Miami Dolphins on July 20. The trade was completed just eight hours after the Redskins lost defensive ends Phillip Daniels and Alex Buzbee to season-ending injuries during the team’s first day of training camp.