A Co Down family are raising awareness of the seriousness of asthma after tragically losing their teenage daughter over five years ago.
This World Asthma Day, Simon and Barbara Williamson from Portavogie are campaigning for better care and awareness of the chronic lung condition that affects 36,000 children in Northern Ireland.
The couple lost their beloved daughter Rachel, at just 16 years of age, after she suffered an asthma attack at home in July 2017.
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Rachel had suffered with asthma from a very early age and like thousands of other parents, Simon and Barbara say they were not well informed about the condition and quite ignorant about the dangers it posed.
Simon said: "We did not realise for one minute that it would eventually take her life. We remember Rachel saying she felt unwell and within 45 minutes the paramedics arrived at the house.
"Rachel was rushed to the Ulster Hospital but sadly passed away. We were in total shock that so suddenly we lost her."
Barbara added: "Losing a loved one is hard but losing your child is much more painful. What came across to us in the first few days after Rachel passed away, was the amount of lives that she touched.
"Everyone talked about her caring thoughts for others, her compassion in understanding someone else’s feelings and troubles and above all her beaming warm smile."
The couple wanted to do something positive in the name of Rachel so they have created a programme for schools highlighting the dangers of asthma.
Simon explained: "We believe more needs to be done to raise awareness of the seriousness of asthma, what to do in an asthma attack and how to use an inhaler correctly.
"Our son, Scott also has asthma, and we now feel more aware of the importance of asthma reviews and checks. Recently at Scott’s asthma review they spent time showing him how to use his inhaler and he had to then show them several times, so they knew he was aware what to do.
"This was reviewed every three months or so and again they went over this with him spending 15-20 minutes on how to use his inhaler. We feel this was really beneficial and now we want other parents to be more aware of good practices as it can save lives."
Leading lung charity, Asthma + Lung UK Northern Ireland is also today warning that poor basic care can contribute to asthma attacks and unnecessary hospitalisations.
They say personalised asthma action plans are vital to keep people with asthma safe and should be offered at their annual asthma review, while an action plan also keeps parents informed of any changes in their symptoms and helps show others how to look after their asthma.
The charity wants to ensure every parent/guardian of a child with asthma is aware of the support and care they should receive by GP surgeries and highlights that they should invite your child for an asthma review every year and if they have not, it is fine to book the appointment yourself.
The charity is also campaigning for the Department of Health to develop a Lung Health Strategy to ensure everyone gets an early diagnosis for their lung condition and once diagnosed receives support and information says those with asthma should be supported to manage their condition in primary care.
Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma + Lung UK Northern Ireland, said: “Rachel is proof that more needs to be done to protect children living with asthma in Northern Ireland and we commend parent’s Simon and Barbara for helping to campaign for change and more awareness of the dangers.
“It’s appalling that people across Northern Ireland are struggling to breathe, are being rushed to hospital in an emergency and are dying avoidably from their lung conditions. We are urgently calling for a Lung Health Strategy to help improve care rates and save lives.”
Following these five steps if a child is having an asthma attack, could be lifesaving:
- Get your child to sit up, rather than lying them down, and keep them calm.
- Help them to take one puff of their reliever inhaler (usually blue) with their spacer every 30 to 60 seconds, up to 10 puffs.
- If you don’t have their reliever, it’s not helping, or you are worried at any time, call 999 for an ambulance.
- If the ambulance has not arrived after 10 minutes, or the child’s symptoms aren’t improving, repeat step two.
- If there’s no improvement, call 999 again immediately.
Mr Carter said: “With the right management, hospital admissions and life-threatening asthma attacks, which can be traumatic, and on some occasions even fatal, are far less likely to occur.
“We know that life can be hectic for parents, and a child’s asthma might not be an immediate priority, especially if they rarely display symptoms.”
Asthma is not always predictable, which is why it is crucial that all children with asthma receive basic asthma care, which includes:
- Helping your child take a preventer inhaler every day.
- Regular inhaler checks.
- An asthma action plan (which can be downloaded from our website).
- An asthma review at least once a year.
- A follow up by the child’s GP at least 48 hours after an asthma attack.
“Without this basic care, children are not only more vulnerable to having an asthma attack; poorly managed symptoms can also stop them enjoying things like sport, running around with their friends and socialising,” Mr Carter added
”To help your child stay well and active, asthma needs to be managed every day. That is why it is crucial that parents can recognise their child’s triggers, and when their symptoms are worsening, and they know exactly what to do in the event of an asthma attack.”
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