There are many different health problems that we may have but asthma is a problem that often doesn’t get the attention it deserves. An asthma attack may seem like a small thing to someone who doesn’t have the problem, but it can be life-threatening quickly.

The absolute danger of a sudden asthma attack is something that is seen in the case of 12-year-old Ryan Gibbons. His life is a reminder that asthma is not something to be trifled with.

When Ryan was a young boy, he loved going out for hikes in the woods and riding on his motorbike. There was an incident in 2012, however, that took his life.

Brian was at school in 2012 when he had an asthma attack. This could have been easily overcome by using the rescue inhaler that he had prescribed to him, but he wasn’t able to do so.

It began on a day in October when 12-year-old Ryan Gibbons, who was in the seventh grade at the time went to school. It was a perfectly normal day but he would never come back home again.

The 12-year-old was playing soccer in school when he suffered from an asthma attack. He couldn’t get to his rescue medication soon enough because it was locked in the school office. If he had access to his rescue inhaler, he could have taken a puff and opened his airways.

The school policy was to blame because they said that inhalers had to be kept locked in the principal’s office. Sometimes Ryan would try to bring in a spare rescue inhaler but they would always be confiscated.

When Ryan had his attack, some of his friends tried to carry him to the office but the inhaler wasn’t able to be reached in time. Brian passed out and never regained consciousness again.

After the investigation took place, it was clear that the school did not allow him to keep his Puffer on his person. Even though his doctor had given him a note and his mother had tried several times, it was all in vain.

His mother, Sandra Gibbons, said that Ryan would sometimes take an extra inhaler to school to get past the rule, but that wasn’t always possible. It’s also not possible to always predict an asthma attack so keeping it locked in a room elsewhere is very dangerous.

Brian’s mom said that the school called her on a number of occasions asking her to come pick up an inhaler that Ryan had brought to school. He was not allowed to bring it home.

She said: “You would give him an inhaler but then he would get caught with the inhaler and then it would be taken away.

“Then I’d get a phone call. So it was actually very frustrating. I didn’t understand why. I didn’t realize that the policy actually stated that the prescribed medication needed to be in the office.”

Ryan’s death was tragic but it did not happen in vain. His mother said that she would do anything she could to prevent this from happening to any other family.

Sarah Gibbons began a petition after the funeral to come up with a standardized asthma management plan. She wanted all three parties to pass a private members bill from Progressive Conservative Jeff Yurek.

She said: “When Ryan passed away, it was like losing everything that I lived for. After burying my son, I knew that this was a preventable attack. To me, if people had appropriate training and knew what to look for when a child was in distress, he would be here today.”

Now, Ryan’s Law, Bill 135 has been passed and all parties support the legislature. That law forces schools to allow students to keep their inhalers and their pockets or backpacks if they have a note from their doctor.

His mother said: “I’m definitely overwhelmed, very emotional, very happy it’s going to be implemented

It’s also noteworthy that laws exist in every state in the United States that allow students to carry asthma inhalers at all times on their person. Some kids still get denied access to the medications during school days as schools may ban the inhalers through their anti-drug policies.

Every day, over 10 Americans die from fatal asthma attacks. Unfortunately, this is an issue that is preventable.