A grieving father has shared his heartbreaking story following the death of his son from an asthma attack, in the hopes that it will prevent other deaths from poor management of the condition.
Michael Martin's son, Chris Martin, was a healthy 19-year-old student who played rugby at the time of his tragic death.
Two days after Christmas in 2015,Chris woke up struggling to breathe and died while his family tried to get medical help.
His father recently filmed a campaign with the Asthma Society of Ireland, where he explained that he had also suffered from mild asthma since childhood:
"In a million years, I never thought asthma would kill him. I never thought asthma would kill anyone actually, being honest with you."
Chris was diagnosed with asthma when he was four, but had never been hospitalised with the condition.
He grew into an active teenager who "lived life to the full" and was involved in several sports, including surfing and mountaineering.
"Chris always carried his reliever inhaler and would use it while playing rugby."
"However, he would often forget to take his preventative medication. He might take it on a Monday or a Tuesday but then forget to take it on a Wednesday or Thursday.
"It wouldn't be until he got a bit chesty that he would remember to take it again," he continued to explain.
He also said that his son had no idea that his own asthma was acting up, and could potentially be a threat to his health.
Chris went to bed as normal on the night of 26 December 2015, but woke up in the early hours of the morning, gasping for breath.
Michael said that they tried to get him to a doctor so he could use a nebulizer, but Chris "keeled over" as he tried to get dressed, and died in front of his family.
Averil Power, who is the CEO of the Asthma Society of Ireland, said: "Unfortunately, Michael's story is not unique."
"We have been contacted by the families of other young people who died of asthma in the past 18 months, aged seven, 16, 19 and 21. Most were fit and active young people who had no idea they were at risk of dying of an asthma attack."
"There is a popular misconception that only those with severe asthma are at risk. This is not the case. In fact, a 2014 study of asthma deaths in the UK found the majority of those who died had mild or moderate asthma and that under-use of preventer inhalers was a major factor."
