Asthma boy Jake, 11, hid pain in order to play on

Herald Sun
Natalie Tkaczuk Sikora

A YOUNG boy's love for football stopped him from going to hospital or seeing a doctor the morning he suffered a fatal asthma attack, a coroner heard yesterday.

Jake Hindhaugh, 11, refused to go to hospital despite two asthma attacks the day before his 50th match with the Yarra Glen Junior Football Club.

He also convinced his parents he did not need to see a doctor before his game, despite ambulance officers recommending he see one in the morning.

Just 30 minutes after returning home from his under-12s match, Jake collapsed and suffered a heart attack.

His devastated parents yesterday told Coroner Jane Hendtlass that they wished they had forced him to stay the night in hospital and stopped him from playing football.

They also said they wished they had known more about treating the disease, and want every asthmatic child in Victoria to have an emergency plan in place.

Dad Peter wept as he said Jake did not tell them the full extent of his asthma condition because he wanted to play football.

"I know now that's what happened. Jakey was masking how sick he was feeling because he wanted to play.

"It was all camouflaged and when we came home it just went boom."

Mr Hindhaugh later discovered that the adrenalin in Jake's body, generated while he was playing, could have masked the full effects of his attack.

He said he desperately tried to resuscitate his son after he collapsed at home on April 15, 2007, before a neighbour arrived and took over the CPR.

Mrs Hindhaugh frantically dialled 000 and was waiting to speak to a medic.

By the time paramedics arrived 24 minutes later and revived him, Jake had sustained brain damage.

He died four days later in hospital when his life support system was switched off.

The parents believe their son could have still been alive had the ambulance arrived earlier.

The Coroner's Court was told Jake's distraught parents knew too little about the disease to save his life.

Jake's doctor, Michael Hewson, of the Yarra Valley Clinic, said that apart from a school asthma action plan no other plan was in place in the event of a home attack.

Dr Hewson said Jake's parent' level of understanding of his asthma "was not good enough".

Earlier, Mr Hindhaugh admitted that he wished he had known "a lot more" to be able to help his son during the emergency.

"I loved him so much," Mr Hindhaugh told the hearing.

"I genuinely believed Jake had his asthma under control. I wish I was more wise about asthma. Anything could have been advantageous.

"People with asthmatics, it should almost be compulsory that they are trained. That's one of the main reasons I'm here today. There are so many people that don't know and need to know."

Outside the court, Mr Hindhaugh called for the State Government to put money and resources into educating all parents and sufferers about how serious asthma really was and how to deal with an emergency.

"I can't get my son back but I can be his voice," he said. "Our boy should still be here, and we want to make sure this never happens again to any other family.

"We want to change the mentality of every parent, child and doctor -- asthma plans need to be in place for every single child." The inquest continues today.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24614060-2862,00.html