San Antonio “What really made Zoey a winner was this: He learned that even though he has asthma, he can live a happy and healthy life.” So ends the story of Zoey, the “shiny-blue-car” hero of a new book written especially for kids who have asthma.

The 44-page Zoey and the Zones follows the little car from diagnosis to therapy to disease-management success — with a couple of rough spots along the way. Luckily, Zoey's friend, a stoplight named Light Buddy, is always there to help. Light Buddy's green, yellow and red lights correspond to the asthma zones, or symptoms, of which Zoey constantly must be aware in order to treat and control the disease.

“Zoey discovers he has asthma in a way very similar to a lot of children,” say the book's authors, Shawn McCormick and Ginny Trevino. “Like most kids, he doesn't want to be different, so he chooses to believe he doesn't really have asthma, which results in problems with his health.”

Zoey and the Zones comes with a companion workbook for parents of children with asthma. A Web site, www.zoeyzones.com, features more supplemental information about asthma for parents, children and clinicians.

“The workbook format encourages both the parent and child to learn how to manage the disease together, as a family activity. The Web site provides comprehensive information and activities for children, parents and clinicians,” the authors explain.

McCormick is chairman and chief executive officer of Zoey LP. She also is owner and president of both Summit DME, a home medical equipment provider in San Antonio, and Pulmonary Therapies, a respiratory disease management company. Trevino, corporate treasurer and chief operating officer of Zoey LP, also is director of operations for Summit DME.

But it is the authors' personal experience with the disease — Trevino is a diagnosed asthmatic, while McCormick's adolescent son has moderate-persistent asthma — that clearly breathes life into the books.

Last month, Zoey LP expanded the Zoey and the Zones concept to reach retail pharmacy chains, bookstores and clinicians' offices, as well as home health agencies and pharmacies. As part of the customized asthma programs available for each clinician's market, Zoey and Light Buddy will appear on Respironics' pediatric peak flow meters, spacers and nebulizers, according to Debbie Tibey, Zoey's vice president of marketing.