This week, my little girl Ella Roberta should be turning 15. She loved birthdays, and would never let us forget how many days there were until her big day
She dreamed of being an RAF pilot, and her present requests would always have an aviation theme – even her bedroom was painted like a summer's sky, brimming with planes
But instead I'll be taking my 11-year-old twins to visit their big sister's grave
Once a week, we go there, barely ever missing a Sunday with Ella. Ella was a bright, bubbly child
She was healthy and happy, winning numerous gymnastics medals and learning to play 10 instruments
But that all changed a few months before her 7th birthday when she developed a chest infection
Her cough sounded like a smoker's, and doctors struggled to work out what was causing it
She was diagnosed with asthma, and although inhalers helped, she was still frequently hit with appalling coughing fits – watching the terror in my daughter's eyes as she struggled for breath struck fear in my heart
By the December, she was in intensive care. Over the next two years, she would be hospitalised 27 times
My hair fell out from stress, and the impact on the twins, then aged five, was enormous
She was tested for allergies, and even things like epilepsy and cystic fibrosis. Doctors at Great Ormond Street said it was among the worst cases of childhood asthma they'd ever seen
One night, not long after she first became ill, I woke to find her stiff and blue, entirely unable to breathe
I'll never forget that sight for as long as I live – my heart was in my mouth. I scooped her up and ran into the street screaming for help, for someone to save my baby girl
A neighbour thankfully knew enough First Aid to bring her back. That was the start of an awful, dark time for our family
Doctors taught me to resuscitate her, and I lost track of the number of times I did this, but I believe it was between 20-30
There would be no time to call an ambulance – I had to get her breathing again first
Watching her come alive, to take that first breath, was indescribable. She was in coma several times
I'd wait by her bedside, willing her to wake up, terrified to leave her. Once I went to the canteen to get a sandwich and I heard over the radio, 'Children's Ward, code 9!' and I ran flat out back to her
There was always that moment, when she'd opened her eyes and we'd wonder if she had brain damage
'Blink once if you can hear Mummy,' I'd say, and relief would flood through me when she did
The funny thing is, in between her bouts of illness, she was often jolly and had energy
She'd be back to laughing at The Simpsons , and spending time with her friends
We saw specialists at five different hospitals, but doctors were puzzled by why she was losing consciousness through coughing
We lost her the day after Valentine's Day. She normally had a swimming lesson that night, but it'd been cancelled
Swimming is very good for the lungs, and I'm haunted by the thought that if she'd been for a swim, perhaps she wouldn't have had that attack
I'm a single mum, so the four of us shared two of those special M&S Dine In For Two meals, a silly thing to mark Valentine's Day
The receipt for that meal is still on the fridge, six years later – I can't take it down
Ella was obsessed by Adele's latest song, and was playing it on repeat until I told her to turn it off
When she had an attack that night, I thought she'd be resuscitated just like normal
But something was different. She couldn't be saved. She died right there in front of the twins
I'd made a promise to Ella that I'd visit her every single day in hospital, no matter what
I kept my promise when she was in the hospital morgue. Because she died just before the weekend, she was there for several days before her post-mortem, and I went every day to be with her
She just looked so small and alone, as if she was asleep. Her paediatrician came with me – she'd loved Ella too, and we'd spent years battling to keep her alive
Suddenly, all of our efforts felt as if they were for nothing and we just felt like we'd let her down
Life fell apart, but I had to keep going for the twins. When the coroner concluded she'd died from a severe asthma attack, probably triggered by something in the air, I desperately searched for answers
I owed it to Ella to find out what had happened. When someone suggested I look into a spike in air pollution the night before her death, I made a horrible discovery
That night was one of our area's highest ever recorded spikes in nitrogen dioxide (NO) and PM10s, the most noxious pollutants, according to a government air pollution monitoring station just a mile from our home
It was staggering. We live 25 metres from the South Circular, a very busy road in South London
Like every parent, I sometimes worried about pollution, but I concerned myself more with being a good mum and putting food on the table
I was contacted by Professor Holgate, a leading expert in child asthma and air pollution, and together we made more horrifying discoveries
Twenty-six out of 27 of the times Ella was hospitalised coincided with very high spikes in pollution
His report concluded that Ella's fatal asthma attack was caused by unlawful levels of air pollution, and I started a petition to reopen the inquest into her death
We received 175,000 signatures, and it's been confirmed a second inquest will take place
I want Ella to become the first person in Britain whose death is directly linked to air pollution, because that's the only way to force politicians to take notice
We still live in the same area, although I've moved the twins to a school away from the main road
My daughter loves going in Ella's old room and wearing her clothes. The other day I tripped over Ella's trainers in the hall, and, for a moment, it was as if she were still here
Nothing will bring my daughter back, and knowing her death could have been prevented is something I'll have to live with until my dying day
I left my job as a teacher, and now I campaign for changes in the law to protect other children, trying to push through regulations such as not building new schools in pollution hot spots
But I still feel like Ella died in vain – nothing changes, no matter how much pressure we put on the government
This isn't an iceberg somewhere far away that needs saving. Our children are dying now
● Air pollution is linked to 40,000 early deaths a year in the UK. ● Most areas of the UK are breaking EU limits on air pollution, with London's air among the dirtiest in Europe
● London Mayor Sadiq Khan is calling it a 'public health emergency' and introducing an ultra-low emission zone in central London and fitting buses with technology to reduce emissions
● Car passengers are exposed to more pollution than cyclists, as they're in traffic for longer and cars trap the killer particles inside
● Check the pollution levels in your area at UK-air.defra.gov.uk
For more infomation >> New legislation will offer separate sports championships for private, public schools in PA - Duration: 1:15. 
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét