Every asthma episode can be fatal, as shown by the tragic death of 12-year-old Ryan Gibbons.
Ryan, who loved motorcycles and hiking, died in 2012 after suffering an asthma attack at school. His inhaler, stored in the school office due to policy, was out of reach. Friends tried to take him to the office, but they couldn’t get there in time. Ryan fainted and never regained consciousness.
Despite his mother’s efforts and a doctor’s note, the school refused to let him carry his inhaler. Sandra Gibbons explained, “You would give him an inhaler, but he would get caught with the inhaler and then it would be taken away.”
After Ryan’s death, Sandra started a petition supporting Bill 135, also known as Ryan’s Law. The law requires Ontario schools to allow children with asthma to carry their inhalers with a doctor’s note.
“It was like losing everything I lived for when Ryan died,” Sandra told Allergic Living. The Asthma Society praised the law, stating, “It is crucial that children with asthma have easy access to potentially life-saving asthma medications while at school.”
