Bereaved Portavogie parents launch online teaching course

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

Simon and Barbara Williamson’s daughter Rachel was 16 years old when she died at home in Portavogie, County Down, in 2017.

They have channelled 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 can save a life we’ve done, and Rachel has done, something to help that,” they said.

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

About one in 10 people in NI have asthma, including 36,000 children.

The programme, which was piloted in 2019, was launched at Glastry College in Ballyhalbert, where Rachel attended school.

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

Many asthma deaths can be prevented through correct use of inhalers and regular check-ups.

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

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

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

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

“It’s not only an educational programme, Rachel is very much involved in this. Her memory continues and we hope that when it gets rolled out, schools will benefit from it.

“If it saves a life or if people sit up and take notice of it, then that is our job done, and Rachel has done her bit.”

Paediatric respiratory consultant Dara O’Donoghue said knowing how and when to take inhalers is very important.

“People think if you take your blue inhaler you’ll be OK, and very often children and adults forget to take the preventer inhalers, and that’s strongly associated with having further asthma attacks and increasing the risk of asthma deaths.”

At the programme’s launch at Glastry College, a presentation was shown to Year 11 students.

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

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

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

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

Asthma is a long-term condition – also known as a chronic condition – which affects the lungs and can make it hard to breathe.

It is the most common chronic condition among children.

Asthma can cause wheezing, breathlessness, a tight chest and coughing.

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

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

This happens when tubes carrying oxygen to lungs get narrow and inflamed, making it difficult to breathe.

At the programme launch, Education Minister Paul Givan said Rachel’s legacy is now in helping others.

“I have asthma, it’s something I need to manage, it affects me with sport or even during the cold weather but being able to know how to use your inhaler effectively is important,” he said.

Givan said some people miss their annual asthma reviews, including himself.

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

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