Asthma and every attack have the potential to be life-threatening.
The untimely and terrible loss of 12-year-old Ryan Gibbons is a harsh reminder of that.
Ryan was an active boy who enjoyed motorbikes and trekking in the woods – but a catastrophic error would soon take his life.
In the year 2012, he experienced an asthma attack while he was at school.
It would have been possible for him to use his inhaler at the beginning of the event; however, the item that may have saved his life had been taken away from him.
Ryan Gibbons, a student in the seventh grade who was 12 years old at the time, went to school on October 9, just like any other day.
On that particular day, however, he would not return home. While Ryan was playing soccer at school, he experienced an asthma attack. Unfortunately, he was unable to access his emergency medication because it was locked in the school office.
The boy who was in pain required his inhaler in order to open his airways and make it possible for him to breathe.
On the other hand, Ryan was constantly deprived of spare inhalers because it was the policy of his school to keep the inhalers locked in the office of the principal.
During the incident, Ryan’s buddies attempted to take him to the office, but they were unable to reach the inhaler in time. Ryan was unable to make it to the office.
Ryan passed out, and he was never brought back to life.
An entire nation was shaken by the catastrophe that took place at the Elgin Country School, which is located in Ontario, Canada.
After doing an inquiry, it became evident that Ryan’s school did not permit him to keep his puffer with him, despite the fact that his mother had made numerous attempts and that a note from his physician had been provided.
The fact that Ryan would frequently bring an additional inhaler to school in order to circumvent this requirement is something that his mother, Sandra Gibbons, has stated.
Asthma attacks are not always expected, and it is risky to keep the inhaler locked in a room because of this.
However, Ryan’s additional inhaler was repeatedly taken away by the school.
The inhaler that Ryan had brought to school was reportedly brought to her attention by the school on multiple occasions, as stated by Ryan’s mother, who requested that she pick it up.
He wasn’t allowed to bring it home.
”You would give him an inhaler but then he would get caught with the inhaler and then it would be taken away,” Sandra Gibbons said, speaking to CBC.
”Then I’d get a phone call. So that was actually very frustrating. I didn’t understand why. I had no idea that the policy actually stated that the medication that was prescribed to the patient needed to be present in the office.
That Ryan’s tragic death was not in vain is a fortunate development.
After Ryan’s passing, his mother has made a solemn pledge to do everything in her power to eliminate the possibility of another family experiencing the same tragedy that she did.
After the funeral, Sandra Gibbons initiated a petition requesting the Ontario government to force school boards to implement uniform asthma management programs, and asked all three parties to pass a private member’s bill from Progressive Conservative Jeff Yurek.
“When Ryan passed away, it was like losing everything that I had lived for,” Gibbons said in an interview with Allergic Living. After the funeral for my son, I realized that this was an attack that could have been avoided. In my opinion, he would be here today if people had the appropriate training and were aware of what to look for when a child was in a state of distress.
Sandra’s goal was to reform the regulations that prevent children with asthma from being able to carry their life-saving equipment during their asthma attacks.
As time went on, the results of her intentional fight would become apparent.
The legislation that is now known as Ryan’s Law, Bill 135, has been approved by the legislature with backing from all parties.
Because of the regulation, schools are required to permit children to carry their inhalers in their pockets or backpacks as long as they get a note from their doctor.
Sandra Gibbons expressed her happiness by saying, “I am definitely overwhelmed, very emotional, and very happy that it is going to be implemented.”
The passage of the bill was also praised by the Asthma Society, whose president, Dr. Rob Oliphant, stated that “it is essential that children with asthma have ready access to potentially life-saving asthma medications while they are at school.”
Students are permitted to have their asthma inhalers with them at all times, as stipulated by the laws that are in effect in each and every state in the United States.
Despite this, there are still some children who are not allowed to have access to these potentially life-saving prescriptions while they are at school. Many schools have implemented comprehensive anti-drug policies that prohibit the use of inhalers.
Fatal asthma is a significant problem with more than 10 Americans dying each day from asthma.
Even though death rates have declined in the past decade, any asthma death is potentially preventable.
What a terrible thing it is to learn about Ryan’s story. I just hate it when people don’t think and it’s heartbreaking!
But although Ryan’s history is very tragic, his fate became the decisive factor in changing the lives of thousands of children with asthma.
Without his mother’s struggle for justice, more tragic deaths would probably occur and I am happy that the politicians signed ”Ryan’s law”.
Let’s pass this article on to remember Ryan and to inform others about the risks of asthma patients not having close access to their inhaler.