Family of student who died from asthma attack urge young people to carry inhaler

The family of a student who died from an asthma attack after collapsing in a nightclub have urged university-goers to take the condition seriously.

Zoe Nunn, 20, was studying politics at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge when she fell ill with asthma and suffered a cardiac arrest.

As a child, she had been admitted to hospital with asthma, but had not had an attack for a long time and was not carrying her blue reliever inhaler.

Her mother Louise Nunn, 49, father Mark, 52, and sister Lily, 27, have now joined forces with the charity Asthma + Lung UK to warn students heading off to university to always carry inhalers if they have asthma.

Mrs Nunn, from Ipswich, told the PA news agency: “Zoe was in a nightclub with friends.

“Probably because she was having difficulty, she’d gone into the toilet, and she was found collapsed in the toilet in cardiac arrest.

“We were woken up in the middle of the night by the police and we were blue-lighted to the hospital in a police car, which was traumatic.

“We were told right at that very first point that things didn’t look good because she had been in cardiac arrest for so long.

“Although they got her heart beat back, she obviously had suffered brain damage by that point…

“We were told to bring family in to say goodbye.”

A post-mortem examination revealed Zoe, who died in May 2022, had suffered a cardiac arrest caused by an asthma attack.

According to NHS data, there are typically 70% more emergency asthma admissions in young people aged 15 to 24 during autumn than there are during the summer.

In 2024 in England, cases almost tripled from 235 emergency admissions in August to 640 in October.

Mrs Nunn said the family now had to cope with the loss of Zoe’s future “as well as our future with her”.

She said: “She wanted to go and study for her MA in journalism in Edinburgh, that was her plan, and obviously that wasn’t ever realised.

“She’d had her first relationship but she hadn’t really had a proper relationship, hadn’t been in love necessarily.

“There are lots of things that she wanted to do and that she’d got mapped out that she hasn’t been able to do.

“Her sister Lily has now had a baby – a baby Zoe never got to meet.”

The family chose to donate Zoe’s organs, including her kidneys, heart, liver, corneas and blood vessels.

Mrs Nunn said: “We want to raise awareness, because if we can even change one person’s view and make them carry an inhaler, we can prevent another family having to go through what we’ve gone through.

“I think for us as a family, it’s just about making young people aware that just carrying your inhaler can actually save your life.

“Zoe also hadn’t registered with a doctor at uni, she didn’t have her asthma plan with her.

“I think if we can just encourage young people to do these things, hopefully other families won’t be in the situation we’re in.”

Mrs Nunn said: “It’s impossible to describe the incredible sorrow that Zoe’s death has left us with.

“She was such a strong personality – political, passionate about inequality, compassionate and articulate.

“She was desperate to play her part in fighting injustice and was so full of promise. Her dream was to become prime minister.”

Asthma + Lung UK is also calling on new and returning students with asthma to register with a university GP, carry inhalers and make sure friends and flatmates know they have asthma.

Dr Andy Whittamore, clinical lead at the charity, said: “Going to university is an exciting time, but it is essential that young people with asthma know how to access the right care when they move away from home and are scrupulous about taking their inhalers and other medication as prescribed.

“It’s important for students to be open about having asthma, and to have print-offs or screen shots of their asthma action plans.

“It’s vital too that they know what to do if they have an asthma attack, and that they’ve scoped out in advance how to get to the nearest hospital.

“During freshers’ week, many students are dealing with a perfect storm of asthma triggers, such as cigarette smoke, vapour, excess alcohol, new food, stress, excitement, increased exposure to viral infections, mould, damp, and even different types of pollen and air pollution which can make those first few weeks at university tough on their lungs.”