Asthma can be fatal: Remembering Ryan Gibbons

December 26, 2025 by salah

Fortunately, Ryan’s tragic death was not in vain.

Since Ryan’s death, his mother has vowed to do whatever she could to prevent another family from going through what she went through.

After the funeral, Sandra Gibbons started a petition asking the Ontario government to force school boards to adopt standardized asthma management plans, and urged all three parties to pass a private member’s bill from Progressive Conservative Jeff Yurek.

“When Ryan passed away, it was like losing everything that I lived for,” Gibbons told Allergic Living. “After burying my son, I knew that this was a preventable attack. To me, if people had appropriate training and knew what to look for when a child was in distress, he would be here today.”

Sandra’s aimed to change the laws that keep asthmatic children from being able to carry their life-saving devices.

And soon her conscious struggle would generate results.

Known as Ryan’s Law, Bill 135 has now passed with all-party support in the legislature.

The law forces schools to allow children to have their inhalers in their pocket or backpack with a doctor’s note.Continue reading…