Boy, nine, dies from asthma attack worsened by Canada’s wildfire smoke, parents say
A 9-year-old boy died in British Columbia from an asthma attack made worse by the Canadian wildfires, say his parents.
Carter Vigh, who had the condition his whole life, died on 11 July after visiting an emergency room when he suffered an asthma attack.
The BC Coroners Service has not given an official cause of death but stated in a bulletin that it was probing the death as being “related to an existing medical condition aggravated by wildfire smoke”, reported CBC.
“The sudden and unexpected death of this young boy is a heartbreaking loss for his family and community.”
And the service added: “Our communities are now becoming more aware of the risks presented by wildfire smoke and the measures that can be taken to reduce those risks.”
Carter’s parents told the broadcaster that the youngster had been at a water park earlier in the day and then went to a birthday party.
He began coughing in the evening and his parents gave him his inhaler and told him to concentrate on his breathing. But the coughing continued to get worse and he was rushed to the hospital where he lost consciousness.
Medical staff performed CPR for 25 minutes before he was declared dead.
“I’m hoping that people realize how quickly it can turn because we had his asthma under control. We were so diligent,” his parents said.
“They tried everything,” Ms Vigh added. “I just stood there and just told him that I loved him and just to breathe.”
“We took it seriously,” she said, referring to Carter’s asthma. “It was just his time and it’s not fair. He was perfect. He had the perfect little freckle on his earlobe and the cutest little nose ... We raised the most loving little boy.”
A GoFundMe for the family, who live in 100 Mile House, British Columbia, has so far raised more than $30,000.
More than 900 wildfires are burning across Canada on Tuesday, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Around 360 wildfires in British Columbia have caused air quality in the region to drop significantly.
And at least two firefighters have died battling the blazes, which have burned more than 26 million acres of land.
The climate crisis, caused by emissions from fossil fuels, is driving larger, more frequent and erratic wildfires around the world. Canadian officials have warned that this could be the country’s worst wildfire season on record and smoke would be a problem “all summer”.
