Somerset mum 'went numb' as daughter's severe asthma left her fighting for breath

ITV News' Katherine Cenaj spoke to Elisha about her life-threatening condition

The mother of a young woman whose severe asthma almost took her life says she "went numb" as she watched her daughter fight for breath.

Elisha Turner says she was forced to spend last Christmas in hospital because of her illness.

Her mother, Susan, was told to prepare for the worst on several occasions.

Elisha said: "Growing up it was always very much always ending up back in hospital and pretty much needing to live in there.

"As I’ve got older, I actually spent Christmas 2023 in hospital.

“I spent maybe the first three to five years of Christmases in hospital and I think that was very hard for my family as well because obviously there was always one person missing.

"There’s a slight misunderstanding on the severity of the asthma and definitely on the fact that you can easily go from mild to severe.

"I used to feel like I had to run to keep up with the others and my body sort of went ‘no, I’m not doing this any more."

More than 12,000 people die every year of asthma attacks in England and Wales, with a report finding that the majority of those deaths are preventable.

It’s been 10 years since the landmark report looking at deaths caused by asthma was published.

Susan Turner, Elisha's mother, said she "went numb" when she was told to prepare for Elisha's death in hospital after her condition deteriorated.

She said: "I just thought all this time we’ve done everything we can and this one thing has put her here and we might lose her.

"It was scary and I just felt numb and I don’t know why, I can’t really explain but it was almost like I felt she’d come to the end."

Elisha has endured a lifetime of being forced to miss out on big events but is determined to not let her illness get the better of her.

She's recently engaged and won the Miss Elegance of the World pageant in Florida.

Dr Andy Whittamore, clinical lead at Asthma + Lung UK said: “Winter can be a frightening time for people with respiratory illnesses who are especially vulnerable to flu complications which can cause life-threatening asthma attacks and COPD exacerbations.

"Three in four people with lung conditions find that seasonal bugs, like colds and flu, make their breathing worse which is why it is vital that anyone who is eligible for a flu vaccine gets one, so they can protect themselves and the NHS this winter."

Elisha’s asthma is now well managed - but it’s taken years of consideration and work to get there.

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