{"id":10661,"date":"2025-03-03T17:38:02","date_gmt":"2025-03-03T17:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/?p=10661"},"modified":"2025-03-03T17:38:04","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T17:38:04","slug":"asthma-can-be-fatal-remembering-ryan-gibbons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/?p=10661","title":{"rendered":"Asthma can be fatal: Remembering Ryan Gibbons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asthma and every attack have the potential to be life-threatening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The sudden and tragic death of 12-year-old Ryan Gibbons is a stark reminder of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/lajmesot.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/sdf.jpg.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-55532\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ryan was an energetic boy who loved motorbikes and hiking in the woods \u2013 but a fatal mistake would soon take his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Back in 2012, he suffered an asthma attack at school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He could have simply used his inhaler at the beginning of the episode, but the life-saving device had been taken from him.On October 9, 12-year-old grade 7 student Ryan Gibbons went to school \u2013 just like any other day<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, that day he wouldn\u2019t return home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/lajmesot.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/fwer.jpg.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-55533\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ryan suffered an asthma attack while playing soccer in school and was unable to reach his rescue medication, which was locked in the school office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The suffering boy needed his inhaler to open his airways and allow him to breathe.But it was his school\u2019s policy to keep the inhalers locked in the principal\u2019s office and spare inhalers were repeatedly confiscated from Ryan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A group of Ryan\u2019s friends tried to carry him to the office during the attack, but the boys couldn\u2019t get to the inhaler in time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ryan passed out and never was revived.The tragedy occurred at the Elgin Country School in Ontario, Canada, and shook a whole nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After an investigation, it became clear that Ryan\u2019s school didn\u2019t allow him to keep his puffer with him, despite repeated efforts by his mother and a doctor\u2019s note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to his mother, Sandra Gibbons, Ryan would often bring an extra inhaler to school in order to bypass this rule.Asthma attacks aren\u2019t always predictable, and it is dangerous to keep the inhaler locked in a room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the school kept taking Ryan\u2019s extra inhaler away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ryan\u2019s mom said that the school called her on several occasions, asking her to pick up an inhaler that Ryan had brought to school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He wasn\u2019t allowed to bring it home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201dYou would give him an inhaler but then he would get caught with the inhaler and then it would be taken away,\u201d Sandra Gibbons said, speaking to CBC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/lajmesot.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/gsd.jpg.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-55534\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201dThen I\u2019d get a phone call. So it was actually very frustrating. I didn\u2019t understand why. I didn\u2019t realize that the policy actually stated that the prescribed medication needed to be in the office.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fortunately, Ryan\u2019s tragic death was not in vain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since Ryan\u2019s death, his mother has vowed to do whatever she could to prevent another family from going through what she went through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the funeral, Sandra Gibbons started a petition asking the Ontario government to force school boards to adopt standardized asthma management plans, and urged all three parties to pass a private member\u2019s bill from Progressive Conservative Jeff Yurek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/lajmesot.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/sds-1.jpg.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-55535\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen Ryan passed away, it was like losing everything that I lived for,\u201d Gibbons told Allergic Living. \u201cAfter 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.\u201d<br>Sandra\u2019s aimed to change the laws that keep asthmatic children from being able to carry their life-saving devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And soon her conscious struggle would generate results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Known as Ryan\u2019s Law, Bill 135 has now passed with all-party support in the legislature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The law forces schools to allow children to have their inhalers in their pocket or backpack with a doctor\u2019s note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m definitely overwhelmed, very emotional, very happy it\u2019s going to be implemented,\u201d said Sandra Gibbons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Asthma Society also applauded the bill\u2019s passage, with president Dr. Rob Oliphant saying \u201cit is essential that children with asthma have ready access to potentially life-saving asthma medications while at school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yBWPznZqDr0?si=wccSa_hBVJ4mqGcT\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every state in the U.S. has laws on the books that allow students to carry their asthma inhalers with them \u2013 at all times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, some kids are still being denied access to these lifesaving medications during the school day. Many schools ban inhalers through their blanket anti-drug policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fatal asthma is a significant problem with more than 10 Americans dying each day from asthma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even though death rates have declined in the past decade, any asthma death is potentially preventable.I\u2019m so sorry to hear about Ryan\u2019s story. I just hate it when people don\u2019t think and it\u2019s heartbreaking!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But although Ryan\u2019s history is very tragic, his fate became the decisive factor in changing the lives of thousands of children with asthma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Without his mother\u2019s struggle for justice, more tragic deaths would probably occur and I am happy that the politicians signed \u201dRyan\u2019s law\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s pass this article on to remember Ryan and to inform others about the risks of asthma patients not having close access to their inhaler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Share away on Facebook, friends!<\/p>\n<div class=\"684f6003e199ca137b09540a661b4c2d\" data-index=\"2\" style=\"float: none; margin:0px 0 0px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<!-- Composite Start -->\r\n<div id=\"M940464ScriptRootC1583286\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/jsc.adskeeper.com\/k\/o\/kohajone.press.1583286.js\" async>\r\n<\/script>\r\n<!-- Composite End -->\r\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Asthma and every attack have the potential to be life-threatening. The sudden and tragic death of 12-year-old Ryan Gibbons is a stark reminder of that. Ryan was&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10662,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10661"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10663,"href":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10661\/revisions\/10663"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kohajone.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}