Asthma: Bereaved Portaugie parents launch online teaching course.

The parents of a teenage girl who died after an asthma attack are behind a new education program highlighting the dangers of the condition.

Rachel, the daughter of Simon and Barbara Williamson, was 16 when she died at home in Portaugie, County Down, in 2017.

They have turned their grief into an online teaching resource – the first of its kind in Northern Ireland.

“We felt we needed to do something in Rachel’s memory and if we could save a life that we did, and Rachel did, something to help,” he said.

In 2023, 47 adults in Northern Ireland died from asthma, according to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NASA).

One in 10 people in NI has asthma, including 36,000 children.

The program, which was piloted in 2019, was launched at Billy Halbert’s Gloucester College, where Rachel attended school.

It provides detailed information on how to properly manage asthma, and what to do in the event of an asthma attack.

Many asthma deaths can be prevented with proper inhaler use and regular check-ups.

Because it’s so common, some people aren’t aware of how serious it can be, Rachel’s mother Barbara said.

“People can be very complacent and unfortunately, we were,” he said.

“Rachel was the most caring, thoughtful girl, she always put her friends and her family first, that’s just the kind of girl she was. We miss her so much.”

Rachel’s father Simon spent years putting the presentation together, working with medical experts, charities and even local sports stars.

“It’s not just an academic program, Rachel is very involved. Her memory lives on and we hope that when it starts, the schools will benefit from it.

“If it saves someone’s life or if people sit up and take notice, that’s our job, and Rachel has done her job.”

Pediatric respiratory consultant Dara O’Donoghue said knowing how and when to take an inhaler is crucial.

“People think that if you take your blue inhaler you’ll be fine, and often children and adults forget to take their preventer inhalers, and this can lead to more asthma attacks and asthma deaths. is strongly associated with increased risk.”

At the start of the program at Glastry College, Year 11 students were shown a presentation.

One of those students, Lexi, who has asthma, said she always carries her inhaler with her, especially if she knows she’ll be playing a game.

“It definitely made me think about what I could do better,” she said.

“It was a reminder of what could happen if I didn’t take it seriously.”

Kerry, another Year 11 student, agreed: “I think the severity of it really came out and because it’s so common it can be downplayed.”

Asthma is a long-term condition – also called a chronic condition – that affects the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe.

It is the most common chronic condition in children.

Asthma can cause wheezing, difficulty breathing, chest tightness and coughing.

For some people asthma may be mild, for others it is more severe.

Sometimes this condition can cause a person to have an asthma attack.

This happens when the tubes that carry oxygen to the lungs become narrowed and inflamed, making it difficult to breathe.

At the launch of the programme, Education Minister Paul Gavin said Rachel’s legacy was now to help others.

“I have asthma, it’s something I need to manage, it affects me with sports or even during cold weather but it’s important to know that you have to use your inhaler,” he said. How to use it effectively.”

Gavan said some people miss annual asthma assessments, including herself.

“You’ll get requests to go for your annual review, which is something we encourage people to do. I, like others, don’t do it very often, but I really should.”

A link to the presentation will now be sent to all post-primary principals in Northern Ireland.