12-Year-Old Boy Passes Away When School Takes Away His Asthma Inhaler

Apr 25, 2019 by apost team

Asthma is not something to take lightly. Attacks happen daily and can be life threatening.

This is exactly what happened to Ryan Gibbons. He tragically died at only 12 years old.

He was a very active little boy that loved to go hiking and ride motorbikes but sadly a mistake would take his life too soon. In 2012, he was at school just like any other day but this day was different. While he was there, he had an asthma attack.

If he had only had his inhaler, he could have used it at onset of the attack but his inhaler had been taken away from him.

Ryan was playing soccer and wasn’t able to get to his rescue inhaler as it was locked inside the office in the school. This is a device that he needs with him because when an attack occurs it opens his airways and allows him to be able to breathe again.

apost.com

Unfortunately, the school had a policy that inhalers had to be locked inside principal’s office. His spare inhalers had even been taken away. Some of Ryan’s friends tried to bring Ryan to the office while the attack was occurring but they just couldn’t get to the inhaler in time.

Ryan passed out and never woke up again.

This event took place at the Elgin Country School located in Ontario, Canada. An investigation was done that showed that in spite of multiple attempts, Ryan was not allowed to keep his inhaler on him. This was even with a note from Ryan’s doctor.

Sandra Gibbons, Ryan’s mom, would even go as far as to send an extra inhaler with Ryan and just bypass the rule. She talks about how attacks aren’t predictable and it’s extremely dangerous to keep them locked away from someone who uses them.

She recalls that the school called her many times asking her to come to pick up an inhaler that Ryan had brought to school as they wouldn’t allow him to even take it home.

She would send it with them that morning at school, and they would “catch” him with it and take it away. Then she would receive a phone call regarding her coming to pick it up. She didn’t understand until she read the policy that read prescription medication had to be held in the office.

Since Ryan’s death, his mom has decided to do whatever it takes to prevent this from happening to another family. The Asthma Society backs her efforts and the president, Dr. Rob Oliphant, feels that it is vital for every child that has asthma to have ready access to their inhalers while at school.

In the states, there are laws that allow students to carry their inhalers on hand, but many kids are still being denied as the inhalers are still being labeled as a prescription medication and they are forced to leave it in the office.

More than 10 Americans die every day due to complications from asthma. Though death rates have declined, they aren’t absent and deaths are potentially preventable.

I can’t even imagine what this mom is going through. I have asthma myself and as a child would sneak my inhaler to school with me. They wanted mine left in the office as well and that’s just not sufficient.

Be sure and send this story on to everyone you know so others can be educated in the importance of inhalers carried on the body for those with asthma!