‘I lost my son to a sudden asthma attack, despite him having mild symptoms’

Eight-year-old Bailey Davis only ever showed mild symptoms of asthma, but in 2017, without warning, he suffered an acute attack, collapsed and died.

His mother Nicki Davis is keen to warn others of the dangers of the condition, however mild, and the importance for all sufferers to receive a yearly review with a GP or nurse.

Bailey’s asthma was always really mild, it never caused him problems. As a toddler it had brought on two admissions to hospital for serious chest infections, but he’d only ever had two asthma attacks in his eight years and it was the second one that killed him.

On the day it happened it was so fast. He’d had a normal day at school, he’d been playing with his brother, tea, bath, bed – usual things.

The boys were watching TV and Bailey came into my bedroom and said he couldn’t breath properly so I helped him with his inhaler – and he just collapsed. I thought he’d fainted but when I tried to lift him he was so heavy, a dead weight.

It was 17 minutes past midnight when the paediatrician in hospital walked in and said they couldn’t restart his heart.

He always had such a big smile, he was the joker of the two – then he’d gone – just like that.

Mason, his twin was so angry. Devastated. He’d always had his best friend with him, at his side.

Bailey had never had asthma reviews but I never knew he needed one, as it was so mild.

He’d been using his inhaler more than usual before he died, so I’d booked him an appointment with the asthma nurse on the Tuesday. He died on the Monday.

I’ll never know if getting to that appointment would have saved his life.

(c) Sky News 2019: ‘I lost my son to a sudden asthma attack, despite him having mild symptoms’