The parents of the late 9-year-old Carter Vigh say smoke from the recent fires in Canada’s forests contributed to the child’s death. The boy had suffered from asthma all his life and always had an inhaler with him. An investigation has been launched into the death of the 9-year-old.
9-year-old Carter Vigh died on July 11 in one of the towns in the Canadian province of British Columbia. His death followed an attack of asthma, which the boy suffered from all his life. The child’s parents, James and Amber Vigh, say the boy’s condition was greatly aggravated by the fires and smoke rising from the surrounding forests. According to government statistics in Ottawa forests are burning in 883 places in the country, and the most difficult situation is in British Columbia. Canada’s CBC notes that the fires have caused a sharp drop in air quality in the region, and officials are warning residents with certain medical conditions to exercise caution.
Canada. A 9-year-old boy suffering from asthma has died
Amber Vigh told CBC that in the day before his death, Carter was very happy – playing at the water park with friends and then celebrating another friend’s birthday. According to her, the air that day was clean. “He had a great day, nothing to indicate he had any problems,” she said. In the evening, however, the boy started coughing and, as always in such a situation, the parents gave him an inhaler and tried to calm him down. However, the coughing worsened, so they took him to the hospital, where he soon passed out. Doctors resuscitated the boy for 25 minutes before pronounced him dead. – They tried everything. I stood there and told him I loved him and to just breathe,” Vigh described her last moments with her baby.
The 9-year-old’s parents told CBC they were told Carter’s death was likely due to a severe asthma attack, made worse by air pollution. British Columbia’s Office of Forensic Medicine (Coroners) confirmed in a statement on Monday that it was investigating the child’s death in relation to his health being deteriorated by smoke from the fires. Officially, however, the cause of death of the child and whether the air condition had an impact on it have not yet been announced. “We had his asthma under control, we were very diligent. I hope people realize how quickly that can change,” Vigh said.
Main photo source: Reuters