A young mum who was often told to "just get on with it" died after a sudden asthma attack.
Amy Greenwood, of Skelmersdale, was just 22 when she was found unconscious by her fiancé, not breathing, after she suffered a sudden and unexpected asthma attack. Despite CPR and ventilation attempts, a heart-breaking decision was made to turn off her life support the following day in October 2022.
Having suffered from asthma all her life, being "in and out of hospital", her loving family are urging people to take the life-threatening illness seriously. Amy, who was a mum of two young children, would be "completely fine" one minute, but the next would find herself "fighting for breath".
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Mum Joanne, 49, said: "She lived in constant fear, waiting for the next asthma attack to strike. She did everything she could to manage her symptoms, but it was impossible to predict what triggered her asthma, although stress, winter bugs, and pollen all played a part.
"Recently, we wondered if air pollution played a part as her son’s school was only a six-minute walk away but she struggled to walk there, as it was on a busy road with lots of traffic."
Joanne is bravely raising awareness of how serious asthma can be and how terrifying it is to fight for breath, as new analysis from leading lung charity Asthma + Lung UK reveals people in places like Liverpool, Knowsley and Wirral are top of the list for emergency admissions and death rates for lung conditions.
The charity, which has launched its End the Lung Health Lottery campaign, analysed the latest rates of emergency hospital admissions and deaths from lung conditions, throughout England. In the North West, Knowsley was found to have the highest rates and Liverpool was also in the top 10.
The charity said despite the tireless work of NHS doctors and nurses, levels of basic care for people with lung conditions is "patchy" and suggests some health inequalities.
Amy's mum Joanne, added: "One day last year, in the early hours, I had call from Amy’s partner, Keagan. Amy had collapsed after an asthma attack and was rushed to hospital. Doctors did everything they could to save her, but she died in hospital two days later.
"There isn't any pain comparable to losing your child. Amy's death has left a gaping hole in our family. I'm determined to keep her memory alive and to raise awareness about how serious asthma is, to prevent other families going through what we have. Amy was often told 'it's just asthma, you need to get on with it,' it wasn't just asthma for Amy, it controlled every aspect of her life."
Asthma + Lung UK, who last year offered a listening ear to more than 17,000 people with asthma or another lung conditions, is now urging Government to prioritise lung conditions in its upcoming Major Conditions Strategy. They say conditions such as this should be diagnosed earlier to ensure treatment begins sooner.
The charity is also concerned that over a lack of vital diagnostic testing in some areas as well as a lack of investment for research. Currently, in the UK lung conditions are the third biggest killer yet they only receive 2% of public investment into research.
Sarah Woolnough, Chief Executive at Asthma + Lung UK, is urging the Government to increase funding for research and innovation into lung conditions that could save millions of lives. She added: "It’s appalling that people across the North West are struggling to breathe, are being rushed to hospital in an emergency and that so many are dying avoidably from their lung conditions.
"We know that people in more deprived areas are more likely to have worse lung health, often with no choice but to live in poorer quality housing, more polluted areas with higher smoking rates. We need to tackle the lung health lottery head on."
The ECHO previously reported that Amy's fiancé, Keagan Boylan, heard a thud and when he went upstairs, he found Amy unconscious and not breathing. Immediately commencing CPR, family and paramedics were called and Amy was rushed to Wigan hospital.
Brother James said: "Before an asthma attack, Amy always said she'd get an itchy chin, which sounds strange but others have said the same. But if you feel your chest tighten that's the main sign."
Amy was described as a family person as she loved "being together with everyone", being particularly close to her siblings. James said: "We've all grown up together, really close. There's only two years between me and Amy and we facetimed every single day.
"We've always go out for meals at lunchtimes and little trips to M&S. She was a family person. Even though she moved out four years ago, she was always around our house.
"She kept in contact with all of her friends from primary and high school and was a loving person. She was gentle with her two kids and despite having them young, she was so mature."
For further information visit asthmaandlung.org.uk.
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