When Breah Elvins died suddenly of an asthma attack earlier this year, her family was in shock.
The 17-year-old had lived with the condition from a young age, including being hospitalised, but her mother Tina Elvins said there had been "no real issue" in the lead up to February's deadly attack.
"There were no red flags," she said.
"It was like being in a nightmare."
Based near Taree on New South Wales' Mid North Coast, Breah was on an asthma care plan by the time she started school, and her family had spent years trying to ease her symptoms with the help of GPs.
When she was 14 Breah suffered a serious asthma attack and went into respiratory arrest.
Mrs Elvins said following Breah's recovery the family believed they were on top of her asthma medication and treatment.
"We thought that was the closest we were going to get," she said.
Triggers for Breah's asthma included pollen, dust and pet hair, and a visit to the hospital was not uncommon.
"Because it was her normal, she was so used to it and she would often disregard symptoms," Mrs Elvins said.
She said there were times when Breah could not see her regular doctor due to the high demand for GP services.
"We'd have to just get some random doctor, which was better than not getting one at all," Mrs Elvins said.
"I feel that plays a big part in the consistency of their [asthma] management.
"She deserved better treatment … and I know if we'd been in the city she'd probably still be here."
'One in nine' Australians affected
The latest census data revealed asthma was one of the top three long-term health conditions reported by Australians and the most commonly reported condition for children up to 14.
"Australia has one of the highest incidences of asthma in the world, one in nine people," Asthma Australia chief executive officer Michele Goldman said.
"Generally, there is a higher prevalence of asthma for people living in inner regional or outer regional remote areas and, unfortunately, access to healthcare is much more difficult."
Regional Australians waiting longer
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, people living in regional and remote areas were more likely to report waiting longer than they felt acceptable for a GP appointment, compared to major cities.
Asthma mortality rates were also higher for people in more remote and lower socio-economic areas, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
"It's very clear just how much more difficult and challenging it is for people in regional and remote areas," Ms Goldman said.
"People have to wait weeks or months to get an appointment with a GP or … they have to travel long distances."
Ms Goldman said lengthy wait times became worse for asthma sufferers during the pandemic.
She said patients with shortness of breath or a cough, both symptoms of COVID-19 and asthma, were often sent for a PCR test before seeing a doctor.
"With asthma, you need to see a GP on a semi-regular basis, to get prescriptions for your preventer medications," Ms Goldman said.
"Asthma changes over the course of your life and seasons.
"But when you're having asthma symptoms, they can escalate really quickly into a full-blown flare up that can require hospitalisation and, in Breah's case, be fatal."
Family keeps fighting
Following her death, Breah's organs were donated to others in need, which Mrs Elvins said had given her family the motivation to "keep fighting".
She hopes by sharing Breah's story, she can highlight the difficulties people with asthma in regional areas face to receive adequate treatment.
"I feel as though [people's] ignorance towards asthma and our ignorance towards educating people with asthma is below standard," Mrs Elvins said.
Breah's younger cousin Nelly, 14, will shave her head to raise money for asthma research and the Elvins family are set to take part in Asthma Australia's Christmas appeal and share Breah's story further.
"Even when you lose a child, it's still your job to be their voice," Mrs Elvins said.
