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Julie’s face lights up when she talks about her eldest son Matthew. “Look, honestly, he was infectious, the most charismatic personality. Just a gorgeous all-around good guy.” He was a son, a big brother and an uncle, but not just any uncle, Julie remembers fondly, “He was cool Matty, rock star to the nieces and nephews.”
Tragically, ‘cool Uncle Matty’ died from a sudden asthma attack.
Matty had severe asthma all his life, but he knew his triggers. He frequently took himself to hospital when he had a serious asthma attack. And he always had his medication with him. In fact, for the most part he managed it well.
And his asthma didn’t stop Matty doing all the things he loved. As a boy he was a champion athlete, and as an adult he was a passionate baseball player, rock climber and golfer. He loved to travel and meet new people; he didn’t let his asthma slow him down.
But as his mum Julie described it “an extra crisp morning in April ” he was in his car on his way to work when he had a severe asthma attack. By the time the paramedics arrived, he’d gone into cardiac arrest. He was on life-support when Julie arrived at the hospital.
The doctor’s told her Matty was brain dead.
Julie faced an agonising decision, she agreed to turn off Matty’s life support. “I knew at that heart wrenching moment as we sat with Matthew, it was time. I couldn’t believe my eyes. He looked perfect. His was a beautiful life cut too short due to the insidious disease of asthma.”
We don’t want any more families to grieve the loss of a loved one. It’s only with your generous donation that we can fund vital research into the causes and prevention of asthma. Because it is research that holds the key to stopping more deaths.
Please donate now to asthma research to prevent more people like Matty from dying from asthma.
We would like to thank Matty’s mum Julie for her generous support fundraising for Asthma Australia and for sharing her Son’s story as a part of the Asthma Champion Program. Thank you for being a voice for people with asthma.
Do you have a story to tell? Become an Asthma Champion.