A young Dublin woman has recalled the heartbreaking moment her mum suffered a fatal asthma attack in 2018.
Ciara Kelly, 25, is trying to raise awareness of the potentially fatal condition following the tragic loss of her 47-year-old mum Emer.
She told how her mum went up to bed for the night as normal. But half an hour later her dad came down the stairs of family home in Drimnagh to say her mother couldn't breathe.
She said: "I ran up and she was already sitting on the floor. I made sure she took her inhaler (but) it wasn't working."
Emer couldn't operate her nebulizer in her state, and as Ciara didn't know how to work it, her mum passed out.
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She added: "My boyfriend started doing CPR until the paramedics arrived.
"When we got to the hospital, a few hours passed again and they brought us into a room to say there's nothing there.
"There's no activity in the brain, there's absolutely nothing we can do and was she an organ donor? That was it and my whole life stopped there."
Ciara was speaking as the Asthma Society of Ireland launched its Asthma Awareness Week.
The society revealed that one person dies every five days in Ireland due to the condition.
Asthma Society CEO Sarah O'Connor on Tuesday called on sufferers to get an action plan - as studies indicate having one in place significantly decreases the likelihood of a fatal attack.
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She said: "It is truly frightening that asthma deaths are on the rise in Ireland – a person now dies every five days in Ireland from asthma.
"Our Asthma Management survey, highlighted a huge lack of awareness of how to manage asthma.
"The survey results showed that, in the event of an asthma attack, most people wouldn’t know the necessary steps to take to save a life (the 5 Step Rule).
"470,000 people in Ireland have asthma and 60% do not have their asthma in control, greatly increasing the risk of suffering a fatal asthma attack.
"Every person who has asthma should be in possession of an Asthma Action Plan – UK research into asthma deaths indicated that having an up-to-date Asthma Action Plan made it significantly less likely that a person would experience a fatal asthma attack.
"This Asthma Awareness Week we are calling on people all over the country to put an Asthma Action Plan in place."
Health Minister Simon Harris on Tuesday encouraged sufferers to "take control of their asthma".
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He said: "I am strongly supporting the Asthma Society’s campaign today, encouraging people to take control of their asthma. Asthma management is extremely important.
"It allows people with the condition to live a longer, healthier and happier life.
"I encourage everyone to put an Asthma Action Plan in place – it is the one of the best asthma management tools available.
"People with asthma can work with their GP or asthma nurse or phone the Asthma and COPD Adviceline for help to create their personalised plan on 1800 44 54 64."
You can visit the Asthma Society of Ireland's website here.
