In a matter of weeks, Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Jeff Yurek will once again fight to pass a bill that would change the way schools deal with children who have asthma.
The bill, dubbed “Ryan’s Law,” is named after 12-year-old Ryan Gibbons, who died of an asthma attack at his school in Straffordville two years ago.
As Yurek notes, the boy’s school prevented students from carrying their inhalers.
“Through research with the lung association and [Ryan’s] mother, we realized there’s no uniform policy across the province allowing students access to their emergency inhalers,” says Yurek. “In certain circumstances, it becomes very difficult to breathe, and the sooner you can access your medication, the sooner you can relieve the symptoms and carry on with your life.”
This new bill — which faces its second reading before committee on October 23rd — would change that.
In the meantime, Yurek has launched a new website called passryanslaw.com to promote it.
The goal is for school boards across Ontario to develop a standardized plan to deal with the disease.
