A young mum who 'lived in constant fear' died after suffering a sudden asthma attack.
Amy Greenwood, of Skelmersdale, was only 22 when her fiance found her unconscious and not breathing due to an unexpected asthma attack. Despite CPR and ventilation, the tough decision was made to turn off her life support the next day in October 2022.
Now, her family is hoping to keep her memory alive while raising awareness of the severity of asthma and its risk to life. Amy's mother, Joanne, said she was often "in and out of hospital", the Liverpool Echo reports.
Mother Joanne, 49, said: "She lived in constant fear, waiting for the next asthma attack to strike. She did everything she could to manage her symptoms, but it was impossible to predict what triggered her asthma, although stress, winter bugs, and pollen all played a part.
"Recently, we wondered if air pollution played a part as her son’s school was only a six-minute walk away but she struggled to walk there, as it was on a busy road with lots of traffic."
New analysis from leading lunch charity Asthma + Lung has launched its End the Lung Health Lottery campaign and analysed the latest rates of emergency hospital admissions and death form lung conditions across England. The charity said that despite efforts from NHS doctors and nurses, levels of basic care for those with lung conditions is "patchy".
Amy's mum, Joanne, added: "One day last year, in the early hours, I had call from Amy’s partner, Keagan. Amy had collapsed after an asthma attack and was rushed to hospital. Doctors did everything they could to save her, but she died in hospital two days later.
"There isn't any pain comparable to losing your child. Amy's death has left a gaping hole in our family. I'm determined to keep her memory alive and to raise awareness about how serious asthma is, to prevent other families going through what we have. Amy was often told 'it's just asthma, you need to get on with it,' it wasn't just asthma for Amy, it controlled every aspect of her life."
Sarah Woolnough, Chief Executive at Asthma + Lung UK, said: "It’s appalling that people across the North West are struggling to breathe, are being rushed to hospital in an emergency and that so many are dying avoidably from their lung conditions.
"We know that people in more deprived areas are more likely to have worse lung health, often with no choice but to live in poorer quality housing, more polluted areas with higher smoking rates. We need to tackle the lung health lottery head on."
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