After 12-year-old Ryan Gibbons died from a preventable asthma attack at school, his mother fought to change the law—and won. Today, with Ryan’s Law, Ontario schools are required to let children carry life-saving medication.
On the morning of October 9, 2012, 12-year-old Ryan Gibbons left for school in Straffordville, Ontario—just as he had hundreds of times before. Energetic and bright, Ryan loved motorbikes and hiking in the woods with his mom. That day, he went out to play soccer with friends during recess.
But Ryan never came home.
He suffered a severe asthma attack on the playground. As his breathing became labored, he didn’t have his inhaler—the device that could have opened his airways and saved his life. It was locked in the school office, out of reach.
Despite the frantic efforts of classmates to carry him to the principal’s office, Ryan collapsed. He lost consciousness before help arrived and never regained it.
Ryan’s death was a devastating loss for his family—and one that could have been entirely prevented.
“You Miss Him”: A Mother’s Grief
Sandra Gibbons, Ryan’s mother, had fought for months to allow her son to carry his inhaler at school. She had a doctor’s note. She spoke to school officials. But her requests were denied.
“You would give him an inhaler but then he would get caught with the inhaler and then it would be taken away,” Sandra told reporters through tears. “Then I’d get a phone call. So it was actually very frustrating. I didn’t understand why.”
Ryan’s school—like many others in Ontario at the time—had a strict policy that required all student medications to be stored in the principal’s office. It was a blanket rule aimed at keeping drugs out of children’s hands. But it didn’t account for the urgent, unpredictable nature of asthma.
Ryan, aware of the risks, would sometimes bring a spare inhaler to school anyway. But school staff repeatedly confiscated them. According to Sandra, she was asked to come to school on several occasions to pick up the “unauthorized” devices.
“There’s so much I can say about him and it’s just really hard because it’s just—you miss him,” she said, her voice breaking.
A Preventable Death
Asthma is a chronic condition that affects the lungs, making it difficult to breathe. In Ontario, approximately 570,000 children and teens live with asthma—about one in five, according to the Ontario Lung Association. While it can often be managed with medication, attacks can escalate quickly and become fatal if not treated immediately.
George Habib, president and CEO of the Lung Association, emphasized how easy it is to underestimate the danger.
“Because asthma is so common, we can easily forget it’s a very dangerous disease—and it can be fatal.”
Ryan’s death made that danger horrifyingly real.
An investigation into the incident revealed that despite a doctor’s authorization, school policy trumped parental requests. Ryan was not allowed to carry his own rescue medication, even as asthma attacks could occur at any time.
From Grief to Advocacy
After burying her son, Sandra Gibbons channeled her grief into a campaign to ensure that no other family would suffer the same fate. She started a petition, appeared in media interviews, and met with lawmakers across Ontario.
She pushed for schools to adopt consistent asthma management protocols and eliminate the inconsistent patchwork of rules that governed medication access.
Progressive Conservative MPP Jeff Yurek, who is also a pharmacist, took up the cause. He introduced a private member’s bill known as Bill 135.
“It seems like a matter of common sense that kids would have access to their life-saving medication,” Yurek said. “This is about protecting kids and ensuring their health needs are respected.”
Sandra’s campaign drew support from health organizations and the public. The Asthma Society of Canada, led by president and CEO Dr. Rob Oliphant, publicly backed the bill.
“There are still school boards all across this country and schools within those boards that don’t allow children to carry their puffers,” Oliphant said. “It’s usually part of a blanket understanding of medications… so they lock them up in the principal’s office.”
Oliphant, who also lives with asthma, stressed that the fear of not having an inhaler nearby can actually worsen symptoms.
“Children need to have the confidence that their medication is near them,” he explained. “Not only do their triggers affect their lungs, but the stress of not having a puffer available can actually exacerbate it.”
Ryan’s Law Passes
On a Thursday afternoon in 2015, Ontario’s Legislative Assembly voted unanimously to pass Ryan’s Law. The vote marked the culmination of three years of tireless advocacy from Sandra Gibbons and her supporters.
With the law’s passage, schools across Ontario are now required to:
- Allow students with asthma to carry their inhalers at all times, provided there is consent from a parent/guardian and a physician.
- Ensure that each school principal creates an individualized asthma management plan for every affected student, developed with the child’s doctor.
- Take steps to reduce exposure to asthma triggers within the school environment—such as allergens, chemicals, and poor air quality.
“I’m definitely overwhelmed, very emotional, very happy it’s going to be implemented,” Sandra said after the bill became law.
Ontario became the first province in Canada to enact legislation of this kind. While some other provinces had guidelines or board-level policies, none had binding legal standards.
A Broader Problem
Though Ryan’s Law is now a model for asthma safety in schools, the issues that led to his death still persist in other parts of Canada and beyond.
In the United States, all 50 states permit students to carry their asthma inhalers. But enforcement varies, and some schools still discourage or restrict access due to concerns about liability or anti-drug rules.
Fatal asthma remains a pressing issue. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 10 Americans die from asthma every day. Many of those deaths are preventable.
“Even though death rates have declined, any asthma death is one too many,” said Dr. Oliphant.
Health advocates continue to call for comprehensive education for school staff, clear emergency protocols, and policy reforms to ensure children with asthma are always within reach of their medications.
A Legacy of Change
Today, Ryan’s name lives on in a law that has helped protect thousands of children in Ontario. But for Sandra Gibbons, the cost of that change will always be personal.
“When Ryan passed away, it was like losing everything that I lived for,” she told Allergic Living. “To me, if people had appropriate training and knew what to look for when a child was in distress, he would be here today.”
Ryan’s story has been shared across Canada and around the world—highlighting how rigid school policies, however well-intentioned, can lead to tragic outcomes when they fail to account for individual health needs.
The passage of Ryan’s Law shows what’s possible when personal tragedy drives systemic change. It’s a reminder to schools, lawmakers, and communities that protecting children’s health isn’t just policy—it’s a moral responsibility.
If you have a child with asthma, talk to your school about their medication policies. Make sure they have a plan. Because when seconds count, access can mean everything.
Share this article to raise awareness. Ryan’s legacy may save a life.
Featured image from Facebook: Sandra Gibbons