Co Armagh mum raising awareness after son's asthma death
A Co Armagh mum who lost her son to an asthma attack has spoken out in a bid to raise awareness of how dangerous the condition can be.
Donna Green from Derrymacash, is speaking as part of a new survey, which showed around 100,000 people in Northern Ireland didn't feel they received the treatment they were entitled to.
Tiernan was just 20 when he died in hospital just under a year ago, having suffered an asthma attack at home in the early hours of the morning.
“I didn’t realise how serious asthma was, and I found out in the most devastating way, when my boy died in my arms," said Donna.
“Tiernan came to my bedroom door, having an asthma attack, gasping for breath. He was pale, his lips had turned blue and he was taking his inhaler but it wasn’t helping.
"I called an ambulance and was on the phone when he turned to me and said: ‘Mum I’m going to die tonight’. It was the most frightening moment of my life.
“Tiernan collapsed on the floor and stopped breathing and I gave him CPR while my daughter continued talking to the paramedics, but he died before he got to hospital.
"Losing Tiernan has left a big hole in our lives."
“As a mum who has lost a child to an asthma attack, I don’t want any other parent to go through what we have, which is why I’m campaigning for better basic care."
The survey from Asthma UK revealed around two in three people in the UK believe they don't receive the full range of care for their asthma.
Just 26% of those in Wales claimed they received every element of basic care compared to 34% in England, 43% in Scotland and 48% in Northern Ireland.
Dr Samantha Walker, director of policy and research at Asthma UK said: "We are deeply concerned about this bleak picture of asthma care.
"There's a postcode lottery with millions not getting basic asthma treatment, despite the fact it is proven to save lives, and thousands saying the care they did get was poor.
"It shouldn't matter where you live - people with asthma should get a written plan to help them manage their asthma, a yearly review to check their medicine is working and help to ensure they are taking it properly.
"Healthcare professionals need to ensure they are giving patients this care and patients should proactively manage their asthma, and attend their appointments to keep asthma attacks at bay."