Every episode, even asthma, has the potential to be fatal.
That is made abundantly clear by the untimely and terrible passing of 12-year-old Ryan Gibbons.
Ryan was a lively young man who enjoyed riding motorcycles and going on hikes in the woods, but he would soon die from a deadly error.
He had an asthma attack at school back in 2012.
At the start of the incident, he could have easily utilized his inhaler, but the life-saving tool had been stolen.
Ryan Gibbons, a 12-year-old seventh-grader, attended school on October 9 as usual.
But he would not go home that day.
While playing soccer at school, Ryan had an asthma attack and couldn’t get to his rescue medication, which was kept in the school office.
The child in pain needed his inhaler to clear his airways so he could breathe.
However, spare inhalers were frequently taken away from Ryan because it was the school’s policy to keep the inhalers locked in the principal’s office.
During the attack, Ryan’s buddies attempted to take him to the office, but they were unable to reach the inhaler in time.
Ryan fainted and was never brought back to life.
A whole country was rocked by the catastrophe that happened at the Elgin Country School in Ontario, Canada.
An investigation revealed that, despite his mother’s persistent attempts and a doctor’s note, Ryan’s school did not permit him to keep his puffer with him.
In order to get around this regulation, Ryan would frequently carry an additional inhaler to school, according to his mother Sandra Gibbons.
Keeping the inhaler locked in a room is risky, because asthma attacks aren’t always anticipated.
However, the school continued to confiscate Ryan’s additional inhaler.
According to Ryan’s mother, she received multiple calls from the school requesting that she pick up an inhaler that Ryan had brought to class.
He was not permitted to take it home.
Sandra Gibbons told CBC, “You would give him an inhaler, but he would get caught with the inhaler and then it would be taken away.”
After that, I would receive a call. In fact, it was rather annoying. I couldn’t figure out why. I was unaware of the policy’s explicit requirement that the prescribed medication be kept in the office.
Thankfully, Ryan’s untimely demise wasn’t in vain.
Since Ryan’s passing, his mother has promised to do all in her power to spare another family from experiencing what she did.
Sandra Gibbons began a petition after the burial, urging all three parties to support Progressive Conservative Jeff Yurek’s private member’s bill, which calls on the Ontario government to require school boards to implement standardized asthma treatment programs.
Keeping the inhaler locked in a room is risky, because asthma attacks aren’t always anticipated.
However, the school continued to confiscate Ryan’s additional inhaler.
According to Ryan’s mother, she received multiple calls from the school requesting that she pick up an inhaler that Ryan had brought to class.
He was not permitted to take it home.
Sandra Gibbons told CBC, “You would give him an inhaler, but he would get caught with the inhaler and then it would be taken away.”
After that, I would receive a call. In fact, it was rather annoying. I couldn’t figure out why. I was unaware of the policy’s explicit requirement that the prescribed medication be kept in the office.
Thankfully, Ryan’s untimely demise wasn’t in vain.
Since Ryan’s passing, his mother has promised to do all in her power to spare another family from experiencing what she did.
Sandra Gibbons began a petition after the burial, urging all three parties to support Progressive Conservative Jeff Yurek’s private member’s bill, which calls on the Ontario government to require school boards to implement standardized asthma treatment programs.
With a doctor’s note, schools are required by law to let kids carry their inhalers in their pockets or backpacks.
Sandra Gibbons remarked, “I’m really emotional, overwhelmed, and happy that it’s going to be implemented.”
“It is crucial that children with asthma have easy access to potentially life-saving asthma medications while at school,” stated Dr. Rob Oliphant, president of the Asthma Society, which also praised the bill’s passing.
There are rules in place in every state in the United States that permit students to always have their asthma inhalers with them.
Nevertheless, during the school day, some children continue to be refused access to these life-saving drugs. Inhalers are prohibited by many schools’ general anti-drug policies.
With over ten Americans losing their lives to asthma every day, fatal asthma is a serious issue.
Although the number of deaths from asthma has decreased over the last ten years, any asthma-related fatality could be avoided.
The news of Ryan’s story breaks my heart. It’s heartbreaking, and I simply detest it when people don’t consider!
Despite the tragic nature of Ryan’s past, his fate ultimately changed the lives of thousands of children with asthma.
More terrible deaths would most likely happen if his mother hadn’t fought for justice, so I’m glad the lawmakers signed “Ryan’s law.”
In order to honor Ryan and educate others about the dangers of asthmatics not having easy access to their inhaler, let’s share this article.
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