A young mum who died from a sudden asthma attack had been often told to "just get on with it", her heartbroken mum said.
Amy Greenwood, 22, was found unconscious and not breathing by her fiancé after a sudden and unexpected asthma attack in October 2022.
Despite CPR and ventilation attempts, a decision was made to turn off her life support the following day.
Her mum Joanne, 49, said Amy, who had two young children, was often "in and out of hospital".
She said her daughter's condition was not stable as she would be "completely fine" one minute and find herself "fighting for breath" shortly after, the Liverpool Echo reports.
Joanne added Amy lived "in constant fear" and even though she tried her best to manage her symptoms, she could not predict what triggered her asthma.
The mum explained: "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."
Joanne is now raising awareness of the risks of asthma after new analysis from leading lung charity Asthma + Lung UK revealed people in places like Liverpool, Knowsley and Wirral are top of the list for emergency admissions and death rates for lung conditions.
The charity said despite the tireless work of NHS doctors and nurses, levels of basic care for people with lung conditions is "patchy" and suggests some health inequalities.
Recalling the tragic day of her daughter's death, Joanne said: "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."
Asthma + Lung UK is now urging the government to prioritise lung conditions in its upcoming Major Conditions Strategy.
They say conditions such as this should be diagnosed earlier to ensure treatment begins sooner.
The charity is also concerned that over a lack of vital diagnostic testing in some areas as well as a lack of investment for research.
Currently, in the UK lung conditions are the third biggest killer yet they only receive two per cent of public investment into research.
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."
