Asthma Still Kills
Before another loved one falls silent, please help.
Sarah lost her mother to asthma on her first birthday. Thirty years later, she lost her loving partner Will to an asthma attack too.
This Christmas, you can help ensure more Australians have access to the trusted asthma information and support they need, before another family faces the devastating silence of losing someone they love.
“I think a part of me knew that he was gone, but I couldn't stop…”
We were at a Christmas party down the road, the local community party. He was fine. He wasn’t wheezy. He wasn’t showing any concern for his breathing at all. We went to bed about 11pm.
We woke up at 1:00am. Will was in a panic, saying, ”I need Mum. I need Mum.” And I said, “We need to go to the hospital right now.”
I was on the phone to the paramedics. I had Will in the seat and he was struggling really badly. I was saying to the paramedics, “We’re not going to make it. You’re going to have to meet us halfway.”
Will lost consciousness about five minutes into the drive. I had to pull over and start CPR. I think from the point of him waking up to him taking his last breath, which I can remember vividly, it was about 15 minutes. And then I was doing CPR for about another 15-20 minutes on the side of the road until the ambulance came.
I think a part of me knew that he was gone, but I couldn’t stop.”
Sarah, Will’s girlfriend.
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Will and Sarah
Asthma has been a source of heartbreak throughout Sarah's life.
Its devastating impact began when she was just a child.
“Mum was in and out of hospital with chronic asthma. From what I understand, she would get wheezy a lot,” Sarah explained to me.
“The day that she had her attack was actually my first birthday. Mum was in hospital and heavily pregnant. My dad was working two jobs.” she continued. Sarah’s parents were busily building a new house for their growing family, and her dad was the breadwinner, working around the clock. During a break from work, the young couple ‘broke out’ of the hospital and went down to the shops to get a present for their one-year old daughter.
“I think Mum wanted to get out of hospital because it was my first birthday and she didn’t want to miss it.”
They headed straight down to the shopping centre, their first stop was the chemist to get a reliever puffer, a medication used to help relieve asthma symptoms. “They were filling out a script when she had her attack, I think it was very similar to the type of attack Will had”.
"People started giving my mother CPR, but from my experience with Will, I know how difficult it can be to get air in or out during a severe asthma attack."
By the time the ambulance got Sarah’s mum back to the hospital, she was brain dead.
“She was pregnant as well, and Dad had to make the call of whether to turn off the life support machine or not.
We didn’t just lose Mum, we lost a brother or sister as well.”
Thirty years later, Sarah lost her loving partner Will the same way.
“A night of laughter and music...that ended in silence.”
My 28-year-old son, Will, died on the 23rd of December 2023 from an acute asthma attack. It was in the early hours of the morning.
Will was managing his asthma. He was taking his preventative medication. He had a puffer. We’d all been to the local community Christmas party, which was just up the road. And I’d seen him the day before and he was great. He was fine…. He was larger than life as he always was. Very the life of the party, the loudest person there, lots of stories to tell, very entertaining.
He didn’t have a wheeze, he didn’t have a cold, he had nothing to indicate any problem. We last saw him at probably 10:30pm that night.
That next day was going to be our big Christmas celebration. And then at about 1:30am on the Saturday morning, we got a call from Sarah, she just said, “Will’s having a really bad attack. It’s not good. You better come.”
So my husband and I threw some clothes on and rushed over.
Tracey, Will’s mum.
Please give generously today
Your support today will help families like Sarah, Tracey’s and Georgia's prepare for asthma attacks, helping ensure that no family has to face the devastating silence that an asthma death leaves behind.
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How Asthma Australia Helps
Asthma Australia is Australia’s leading organisation dedicated to improving the lives of people with asthma. We provide a comprehensive range of services to ensure that people can manage their asthma effectively and live well.
1800 ASTHMA (1800 278 462)
Asthma Australia provides a free phone service where people can access evidence-based information, guidance and support from our Asthma
Educators.
Online information
We provide a range of online information hubs, including our website, asthma.org.au, Instagram and Facebook. These hubs offer important resources to help people better understand and manage their asthma.
Supporting Schools
Asthma Australia works closely with schools to ensure they are empowered to respond to asthma. We provide asthma first aid training, practical resources, guidance on policy and procedures and ongoing guidance and support.
Empowering Health professionals
Recognising that health professionals play an important role in addressing asthma in the community, Asthma Australia works to keep the healthcare community informed about the latest evidence regarding asthma management.
Advocacy - A voice for asthma
We work to remove the systemic barriers to better asthma care. This includes advocating for policy changes, more affordable medicines and addressing gaps in the healthcare system.
Research
Asthma Australia funds research that examines better prevention and management approaches and
that which ultimately seeks a cure.
Many asthma emergencies happen because people don’t recognise the seriousness of asthma. Many people lack the information they need to heed the signs and prepare properly for an attack.
$30
$30 helps someone manage their asthma with a personalised Asthma Toolkit.
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$60
$60 helps connect people to an Asthma Educator for trusted guidance and personalised support.
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$120
$120 helps fund research for better asthma treatments and one day a cure.
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