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Ned was diagnosed with asthma when he was about two years old. His mum thought his asthma was mild and under control. “He’d have a
few asthma symptoms sometimes when he woke up at night. He’d wake up and I’d hear him wheezing and then the reliever would usually just control it and he was fine,” says Kristy.
Ned’s asthma never slowed him down or stopped him doing all the things he enjoyed. He never missed a day of school or a footy game because of it.
But on Boxing Day five years ago, healthy and vibrant 14-year-old Ned had an asthma attack that killed him.
“I can’t breathe mum” gasped Ned.
His breathing sounded shallow and rapid.
Kristy raced back inside the house to grab her son’s asthma spacer, so he could breathe in his reliever medication. Before she could get back to Ned, he’d collapsed.
“Get in the car,” Ned’s mum Kristy had yelled. The nearest hospital was half an hour away. But it was already too late. Kristy was terrified. “Call the ambulance” she called to her partner Kenny. Kristy started frantically pumping on her son’s chest trying to resuscitate him. She was desperately trying to save her son’s life. 
Earlier on that fateful Boxing Day, the family had been visiting friends. Ned and the other children had been swimming in a local dam. On the way back to the car the kids had had a race. Ned sounded a bit wheezy and Kristy told him to use his reliever. There was no sign of the horror to come that night.
Later, kneeling over Ned in the dark, Kristy thought the ambulance would never come. When it finally arrived, the officers took over trying to resuscitate Ned. But they weren’t hopeful. ”You’re not stopping,” Kristy told them. She was still clinging to the hope that Ned would survive.
A second ambulance arrived. Ned was given more medication as the ambulance officers worked to save his life. The ambulance officer turned to Kristy and said “I’m sorry, he’s gone.”
Ned’s story is heartbreaking. And I am sad to say that in the year that Ned died, another 454 Australians lost their lives from asthma.
While it’s too late for Ned, exciting new asthma research may help other children.
Dr Paul Robinson from the Westmead hospital is researching the early detection and monitoring of poor asthma control and early detection of asthma attacks. The new home-based monitoring approach could improve the management of asthma in children. And help them avoid going to hospital, and may prevent fatal asthma attacks.
Please donate now to asthma research to help stop asthma killing people you love.
We would like to thank Ned’s mum Kristy for her generous support of 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.