Asthma can be fatal: Remembering Ryan Gibbons

Asthma and its associated attacks can pose significant risks to life.

The untimely and heartbreaking passing of 12-year-old Ryan Gibbons serves as a poignant illustration of this reality.

Ryan was a lively child with a passion for motorbikes and exploring nature, yet a critical error would soon lead to his demise.

In 2012, he experienced an asthma attack while at school.

He had the option to use his inhaler at the onset of the episode, but unfortunately, the essential device had been confiscated.

On October 9, Ryan, a seventh-grade student, attended school as he did on any other day.

However, that day would mark his last.

While playing soccer, Ryan suffered an asthma attack and was unable to access his rescue medication, which was secured in the school office.

In that moment of distress, he required his inhaler to alleviate his breathing difficulties.

Regrettably, the school enforced a policy that mandated inhalers be stored in the principal’s office, and Ryan’s spare inhalers had been repeatedly taken from him.

A group of Ryan’s friends attempted to assist him by carrying him to the office during the crisis, but they were unable to reach the inhaler in time.

Ryan lost consciousness and was never revived.

This tragic incident took place at Elgin Country School in Ontario, Canada, and reverberated throughout the nation.

Following an investigation, it was revealed that the school prohibited Ryan from keeping his inhaler with him, despite his mother’s persistent requests and a doctor’s recommendation.

According to his mother, Sandra Gibbons, Ryan frequently brought an additional inhaler to school to circumvent this restriction.

Asthma attacks can be unpredictable, making it perilous to have inhalers locked away.

Nevertheless, the school continued to confiscate Ryan’s extra inhaler.

Sandra Gibbons recounted that the school contacted her multiple times, requesting her to retrieve an inhaler that Ryan had brought to school, which he was not permitted to take home.

“You would give him an inhaler, but then he would get caught with it, and it would be taken away,” Sandra Gibbons stated in an interview with CBC.
A phone call would follow, which proved to be quite frustrating. I was perplexed by the situation, unaware that the policy explicitly required the prescribed medication to be present in the office.

Fortunately, Ryan’s untimely death served a greater purpose.

In the wake of Ryan’s passing, his mother committed herself to ensuring that no other family would endure a similar ordeal.

Following the funeral, Sandra Gibbons initiated a petition directed at the Ontario government, advocating for the implementation of standardized asthma management plans within school boards. She also called upon all three political parties to support a private member’s bill proposed by Progressive Conservative Jeff Yurek. “Losing my son felt like losing everything I lived for,” Gibbons expressed to Allergic Living. “After laying my son to rest, I realized that this was a preventable incident. If individuals had received proper training and recognized the signs of a child in distress, he would still be alive today.”

Sandra aimed to amend the regulations that restricted asthmatic children from carrying their essential medication.

Her determined efforts soon began to yield positive outcomes.

Now known as Ryan’s Law, Bill 135 has successfully passed with unanimous support in the legislature. This law mandates that schools permit children to keep their inhalers in their pockets or backpacks, provided they have a doctor’s note.

“I am truly overwhelmed, filled with emotion, and incredibly pleased that this will be put into effect,” stated Sandra Gibbons.

The Asthma Society also commended the passage of the bill, with President Dr. Rob Oliphant emphasizing the importance of ensuring that children with asthma have immediate access to potentially life-saving medications while at school.

In the United States, every state has enacted laws allowing students to carry their asthma inhalers at all times.

Nevertheless, some children continue to face barriers in accessing these critical medications during school hours, as many institutions prohibit inhalers under broad anti-drug policies.

The issue of fatal asthma remains a serious concern, with over ten Americans succumbing to it each year.