A teenage mum who died after a sudden asthma attack could still be alive today if her condition had been taken more seriously, her heartbroken sister claims.
Dominique Hornsey, 19, collapsed on the stairs at her home in Neath in June 2017 and could not be saved despite the best efforts of her family, ambulance crews and hospital staff.
She left behind her son Kayden-James who was just five months old when the sudden tragedy took place.
Read more : Teenager left unable to move or communicate after asthma attack led to cardiac arrest
"I wish Dominique's asthma was taken seriously as she might still be here today. I'm determined to keep her memory alive for my nephew and to raise awareness to prevent other families going through what we have," said Dominique's sister Gabbiee Hornsey.
"People need to know that asthma is serious and there needs to be more research into asthma and other lung conditions so we can find lifesaving treatments and one day a cure."
Mum-of-two Gabbiee, 28, said she was talking to her sister on the phone just 30 minutes before the fatal asthma attack occurred.
She recalled: "My dad called to tell me Dominique had collapsed on the stairs with an asthma attack. Our grandmother tried to give her CPR and called an ambulance, but she never regained consciousness and died in hospital.
"It was so sudden. Just half an hour earlier I'd been chatting to her about our plans for a picnic and the next minute her life had been snatched away and she had left her baby boy without his mum."
Gabbiee said Dominique had always struggled with her asthma and in the run-up to her death was hospitalised at least three times. But she said the "red flags" were not picked up.
"No-one checked that her medicine was working for her or if she was using her inhaler properly. I don't think even she knew how serious it was - none of us really thought asthma could kill," she admitted.
Gabbiee described her sister as "crazy, happy, loud and full of life" who would be able to make a joke out of anything.
"I would do anything for her to be ringing me, nagging me. I wish that when she did ring me chatting nonsense I spent the time actually listening to her," she said.
"I wish I didn't spend most of our childhood arguing like sisters would. If I had known what we were going to go through, I would have gone back and done everything differently. I would have made sure I spent more time with her. We were close after I had my first little girl. She had an amazing relationship with her. She was amazing with my kids.
"Nineteen is not your time to go, especially five months after having a beautiful baby. She didn't have time to do anything. She didn't have much time to make her own memories let alone memories to last in my nephew's head. It will only be what we tell him.
"She idolised her boy, she was starting to save to take him to Disneyland when he was five. She would have lived life to the full and she would have never regretted anything."
New analysis from Asthma and Lung UK has found that 500,000 people died from lung conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia over a seven-year period in the UK. That is the worst death rate in western Europe.
The charity also found that the number of people admitted to hospital for lung conditions in England and Wales has doubled in the last 20 years
Meanwhile in the last two years, an additional 170,000 people have died from Covid-19, more than any other country in Europe and an estimated 1.3 million people in the UK are also suffering from long Covid, with 37% experiencing shortness of breath.
Asthma and Lung UK claims that while lung disease is the third biggest killer in the UK, only 2% is spent on publicly-funded research. It added that NHS care is also failing many people with lung conditions, with the majority of people with asthma and COPD not receiving basic care from their GP, such as help using their inhaler properly and reviewing their medication.
Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of Asthma and Lung UK, formerly known as Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation, said: "The state of lung health in the UK is shameful, with more than 100,000 people dying every year from lung conditions, the numbers of hospital admissions increasing, and air pollution causing people to develop lung conditions or making existing ones worse. It is a national scandal that people are more likely to die from a lung condition in the UK than almost anywhere in Europe.
"For far too long lung conditions have been treated like the poor relation compared to other major illnesses like cancer and heart disease, with only 2% of publicly funded research spent on understanding them and finding treatments, and negative attitudes preventing people getting early diagnoses, treatment and care. We need urgent action now.
"The pandemic has brought it to people’s attention that lung conditions can and do kill and how terrifying it can be to struggle with breathlessness. As the UK's only charity fighting for everyone with a lung condition, we have an ambitious new strategy to fight for every breath, including providing our vital services such as our helpline, health advice and support groups.
"But we are also urging government to triple funding for respiratory research to identify new ways of diagnosing and treating people with lung conditions, tackle air pollution and ensure better diagnosis and care for everyone with a lung condition. We want everyone with a lung condition who needs our support to get in touch if they need our help – and to know that we are here for them, fighting for every breath."
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