'Mum don't let me die': Girl turned blue and 'died for six minutes' from rare asthma condition
A schoolgirl begged her mum not to let her die when a rare asthma condition caused her to turn blue and “die” for six minutes in her mother's arms.
Scarlett Langton, 10, suffered an asthma attack, collapsed, and turned blue in the Manchester town of Denton earlier this month.
Despite having no pulse or heart rate for six minutes, the youngster, who loves learning and gymnastics, miraculously pulled through.
Now her family is keen to share her incredible story, so other parents are aware of the dangers of the asthma-related illness.
Mum Claire Langton, 39, said Scarlett's symptoms seemed minor when she first began feeling ill on Thursday, May 9.
When she woke up to go to school, she complained of a sore throat.
"I didn't think anything of it. She has a few allergies like hay fever,” Ms Langton said.
As the day progressed, Scarlett, who suffers with asthma, had some trouble breathing, but didn't want to make a fuss about it.
Girl had no pulse after inhaler stopped working
After school, the girl’s mum noticed the youngster was using her inhalers “an awful lot” until her condition continued to deteriorate.
"She was in a state of panic. [The inhaler] didn't seem to be working," Ms Langton said.
As they walked back to the car, Scarlett turned a blueish, grey shade and begged her mother, “don't let me die”, before she collapsed.
"I picked her up and grabbed her with my arms," Ms Langton said.
"It looked to me like she'd died. Everyone was crying and shouting. I can't say whether she was breathing, but she had no pulse. It was so dramatic, in the space of minutes."
The distressed mother rushed her daughter into a nearby GP surgery where she was given CPR.
Doctors brought out a defibrillator but it came back with the orders 'do not resuscitate'.
Asthma attack sends girl into cardiac arrest
Ms Langton was told Scarlett had gone into cardiac arrest, but after a while doctors noticed her pulse had come back faintly, and she regained consciousness.
The family was then rushed into an ambulance and transported to Manchester Children's Hospital where staff couldn't believe she was the same girl they'd heard about over the phone.
She was discharged on Saturday night after further treatment and tests.
Medics found the episode was caused by Acute Bronchospasm - a condition linked to asthma in which the airways narrow.
"I had never heard of Bronchospasm. Scarlett had said she felt a bit strange. She didn't say that something was wrong. It just started with a bit of a wheeze."
Scarlett’s mum hoped to raise awareness of the condition, so other parents know what to do in the same situation.
Australscope
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, download the Yahoo News app from iTunes orGoogle Play and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo’s daily newsletter. Sign up here.
