Asthma can be fatal: Remembering Ryan Gibbons
On October 9, a 12-year-old seventh grader named Ryan Gibbons went to school as usual. Sadly, this would be his final day alive.
Ryan had an asthma attack while playing soccer at school but couldn't access his rescue medication because it was locked in the school office. The young boy desperately needed his inhaler to help him breathe.
School rules required inhalers to be kept locked in the principal's office, and staff repeatedly took away spare inhalers from Ryan. His friends tried to carry him to the office during the attack, but they couldn't reach the medication in time. Ryan lost consciousness and could not be revived.
This heartbreaking incident happened at Elgin Country School in Ontario, Canada, and shocked people nationwide. Investigation revealed that despite his mother's repeated requests and a doctor's note, the school wouldn't allow Ryan to keep his inhaler with him. His mother, Sandra Gibbons, explained that Ryan often brought an extra inhaler to school to get around this rule.
Asthma attacks can happen without warning, making it dangerous to store inhalers far from patients. Nevertheless, the school continued confiscating Ryan's extra inhalers.
"You would give him an inhaler but then he would get caught with the inhaler and then it would be taken away," Sandra told CBC. "Then I'd get a phone call. So it was actually very frustrating. I didn't understand why. I didn't realize that the policy actually stated that the prescribed medication needed to be in the office."
Thankfully, Ryan's death led to positive change. After his funeral, Sandra started a petition asking the Ontario government to make school boards adopt standard asthma management plans. She supported a private bill from Progressive Conservative Jeff Yurek.
"When Ryan passed away, it was like losing everything that I lived for," Gibbons told Allergic Living. "After burying my son, I knew that this was a preventable attack. To me, if people had appropriate training and knew what to look for when a child was in distress, he would be here today."
Sandra worked to change laws preventing asthmatic children from carrying their life-saving devices. Her efforts succeeded when Bill 135, known as Ryan's Law, passed with support from all parties in the legislature.
The law requires schools to permit children to carry their inhalers in pockets or backpacks with physician authorization.
"I'm certainly overwhelmed, extremely emotional, very pleased it will be put into effect," Sandra Gibbons stated.
The Asthma Society also praised the bill's approval, with president Dr. Rob Oliphant declaring "children with asthma must have immediate access to potentially life-saving asthma medications during school hours."
All states across America have established regulations allowing students to keep their asthma inhalers with them constantly.
Yet some children still face barriers to these vital medications during school hours. Many educational institutions prohibit inhalers through broad anti-drug rules.
Fatal asthma remains a significant issue with over 10 Americans dying daily from this condition.
Despite death rates declining in recent years, every asthma-related death could possibly be avoided.
Ryan's story represents a deeply upsetting situation caused by thoughtless policies with devastating consequences.
Though Ryan's experience was profoundly tragic, his fate became the crucial factor that transformed the lives of thousands of asthmatic children.
Without his mother's fight for justice, additional heartbreaking deaths might have occurred, and it's encouraging that lawmakers approved "Ryan's Law."
