Mother says she begged for stronger inhaler before seven-year-old's asthma death

A mother has said she begged hospital staff to increase her seven-year-old daughter’s inhaler and medication days before the child died at a specialist children’s hospital.

Tasmine Nichols told reporters her daughter, Bonnie Haydon, who had long‑standing asthma, was admitted to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth several times from July and that on a second admission on Aug. 10 she asked clinicians for stronger treatment. Nichols said her request was refused and Bonnie was discharged. The child died on Aug. 29 at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children after being placed in an induced coma earlier that week, Nichols said.

Nichols said she returned to hospital 12 days after the Aug. 10 discharge and that Bonnie was initially "playing" and "singing." According to the mother, Bonnie was sedated and then placed in an induced coma on Aug. 26; a CT scan and a magnetic resonance imaging scan performed on Aug. 28 reportedly showed no brain activity. The family then transferred to Bristol, where Nichols said she was told her daughter's brain had no activity and Bonnie was taken off life support and died in her mother's arms on Aug. 29.

Nichols described Bonnie as "the most sassy, funny, beautiful girl you could ever meet." A family friend, Charlie Wilkinson, set up a GoFundMe page saying Bonnie had been "failed by the health professionals who were meant to help her" and asking for funds for funeral costs. The Daily Mail reported that it had contacted University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust for comment; the trust did not publicly respond in the report.

Bristol Royal Hospital for Children is part of the region’s paediatric services and was praised by Nichols in public comments for the way staff communicated with the family, she said. The family’s account of events — including the dates of admissions, the clinical decisions made and the reasons for imaging and transfer — has been provided by Nichols to the media. The hospitals involved and any relevant NHS trusts have not, in published reporting, provided a detailed public account of the clinical timeline or treatment decisions.

Asthma is one of the most common long‑term conditions affecting children and can range from mild to life‑threatening. Severe asthma attacks can lead to respiratory failure and require emergency treatment, including oxygen, bronchodilators and, in critical cases, mechanical ventilation and sedation. NHS guidance advises that anyone, including a child, experiencing severe breathing difficulty, persistent chest pain, blue lips or face, or collapsing should receive immediate emergency care.

The circumstances of Bonnie Haydon’s death, including whether there will be any internal reviews or an inquest, were not reported in detail alongside the family’s account. Fundraisers and social media posts from acquaintances described the family’s grief and called for support toward funeral arrangements.

The case has prompted discussion in community forums about recognition of worsening asthma in children and when to seek further medical assessment. Health services in the United Kingdom regularly review serious incidents involving patient safety; where concerns are raised about clinical care, hospitals or NHS trusts may conduct internal investigations or be subject to external review.

Representatives for University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust and the Bristol hospital were contacted in media reports for comment. The family has not provided medical records publicly. Journalists and health services often await the findings of formal reviews before drawing conclusions about clinical management. In the meantime, Bonnie’s family and friends have focused on arranging a funeral and remembering the child they described as "forever seven, forever loved, and forever missed."