Becoming a parent lets you have a whole new level of understanding when it comes to being protective and responsible.
You start to realize what it really means to care unconditionally for another life solely dependent on you.
A powerful bond is formed as a living, breathing thing is about to experience everything the world has to give. And that can be both a wonderful and also terrifying thing.
The parents of a schoolboy know exactly how scary life can be for their child. In their case, their son passed away at only 12 years old.
Ryan Gibbon was an energetic boy who had a passion for life. Unfortunately, it was taken from him at such a young age all because of a mistake at his school.
It was a normal day when Ryan went to school on October 9, 2012. Little did his parents know that it would be the last time they would see him alive.
After playing soccer, he suffered an asthma attack but couldn’t get his hands on his inhaler as it had been locked in an office.
If only he had his inhaler with him, the 12-year-old boy could still be alive today. Sadly, the school kept inhalers locked in the principal’s office as it was their policy. Spare inhalers had been confiscated repeatedly from Ryan.
According to reports, his friends carried him to the office during his asthma episode but they couldn’t get him there in time.
Ryan fell unconscious and he passed away.
Heartbroken mother, Sarah Gibbons, told CBC: “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.”
In the wake of their child’s death, Sandra did all she could to make sure no other child suffered the same experience. She started a petition asking the government to force school boards to adopt standardized asthma management plans.
A new bill called Ryan’s Law then came into effect. This means schools have allowed students to keep inhalers in their backpacks or pockets with a doctor’s note.
“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,” Gibbons expressed.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section and SHARE this post with your family and friends!