Asthma and every attack have the potential to be life‑threatening.
The sudden and tragic death of 12‑year‑old Ryan Gibbons is a stark reminder of that.
Ryan was an energetic boy who loved motorbikes and hiking in the woods — but a fatal mistake would soon take his life.
In 2012, he suffered an asthma attack at school.
He could have used his inhaler at the very beginning of the episode, but the life‑saving device had been taken from him.
On October 9, 12‑year‑old grade 7 student Ryan Gibbons went to school — just like any other day.
But that day, he wouldn’t return home. Ryan suffered an asthma attack while playing soccer and was unable to reach his rescue medication, which was locked in the school office.
He needed his inhaler to open his airways and allow him to breathe.
However, the school’s policy required inhalers to be kept in the principal’s office, and spare inhalers were repeatedly confiscated from Ryan.
A group of Ryan’s friends tried to carry him to the office during the attack, but they couldn’t get to the inhaler in time.
Ryan passed out and was never revived. The tragedy occurred at Elgin County School in Ontario, Canada, and shook the entire nation.
After an investigation, it became clear that the school did not allow Ryan to keep his puffer with him, despite repeated efforts by his mother and a doctor’s note.
According to his mother, Sandra Gibbons, Ryan often brought an extra inhaler to school to bypass the rule. Asthma attacks aren’t always predictable, and keeping the inhaler locked away was dangerous.
But the school kept taking Ryan’s extra inhaler away.
Sandra said the school called her several times, asking her to pick up inhalers Ryan had brought to school.
He wasn’t allowed to bring them home.
“You would give him an inhaler, but then he would get caught with it and it would be taken away,” Sandra told CBC. “Then I’d get a phone call. It was very frustrating. I didn’t understand why. I didn’t realize the policy stated that prescribed medication needed to be in the office.”
Fortunately, Ryan’s tragic death was not in vain.
Since losing her son, Sandra has vowed to do everything she can to prevent another family from experiencing the same heartbreak.
After the funeral, she started a petition urging the Ontario government to require school boards to adopt standardized asthma management plans, and pushed all three parties to pass a private member’s bill from Progressive Conservative Jeff Yurek.
“When Ryan passed away, it was like losing everything I lived for,” she told Allergic Living. “After burying my son, I knew this was a preventable attack. If people had proper training and knew what to look for when a child was in distress, he would be here today.”
Sandra’s mission was to change the laws that prevented asthmatic children from carrying their life‑saving devices.
And soon, her efforts paid off.
Known as Ryan’s Law, Bill 135 passed with all‑party support. The law requires schools to allow children to keep their inhalers in their pocket or backpack with a doctor’s note.
“I’m overwhelmed, emotional, and very happy it’s going to be implemented,” Sandra said.
The Asthma Society also applauded the bill, with president Dr. Rob Oliphant saying “it is essential that children with asthma have ready access to potentially life‑saving asthma medications while at school.” Every U.S. state has laws allowing students to carry their inhalers at all times.
However, some children are still denied access to these medications during the school day, as many schools ban inhalers under blanket anti‑drug policies.
Fatal asthma remains a significant problem, with more than 10 Americans dying each day.
Even though death rates have declined in the past decade, any asthma death is potentially preventable. Ryan’s story is heartbreaking — a tragedy that should never have happened.
But his loss became the driving force behind changes that have protected thousands of children with asthma.
Without his mother’s fight for justice, more preventable deaths might have occurred. Ryan’s Law has already saved lives.
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