But, thanks to a new pilot scheme, the 11-year-olds can now happily blow away on their clarinets for an entire concert.
Only a year ago, a game of football would leave them breathless and exhausted.
The identical twins, from Coldhurst, joined a scheme in Oldham to help children with asthma and now have their breath back. They had enough breath to last an entire concert at Oldham Lyceum last week and neither brother had to reach for an inhaler.
On a recent holiday to Australia, they even tried playing a didgeridoo.
They weren't the only musicians at the concert fighting their asthma. The 25-strong orchestra was made up of young asthmatics on the same programme to help them breathe.
The Bronchial Boogie pilot scheme, run by Oldham Primary Care Trust and Oldham council's music services, has had such a dramatic effect on children that it has been shortlisted for the UK Health and Social Care Awards.
Under the project, at three primary schools, asthma sufferers undergo 30-minute sessions after school, where the children are taught breathing exercises and how to play either the flute, clarinet or cornet. Each child is asked to keep a diary of their asthma attacks, sleeping problems and inhaler use.
The programme has been so successful that the number of children having to take time off school because of asthma has dropped from 35 per cent to five per cent and the numbers of asthma sufferers doing sport has tripled.
The project, which is to spread across Oldham, has also cut down on sleeping problems and the numbers using medication to relieve their asthma symptoms has dropped from 60 per cent to 20 per cent.
Proud mother Denise Jones said: "I used to worry about them a lot, but now I feel more at ease because they're both much happier and more confident and able to do things."
Practice nurse Lyn Daniel said: "The Bronchial Boogie has made a real difference to the children's lives." rebecca.camber@men-news.co.uk
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