A nine-year-old boy has died after suffering a fatal asthma attack brought on by 'excitement'.
Owen Wagner was overcome after his sister Tegan, six, was given a puppy for her birthday. The little boy began wheezing and requested his inhaler, which failed to provide relief.
Owen and Tegan were at their grandmother Adele Asker's, house in Risby, Suffolk, when the tragedy occurred.
Mrs Asker, 54, told reporters: 'He had been with his mum and older sister and brother to pick up the Chihuahua. Tegan stayed with me because the puppy was a total surprise for her. Owen was so excited when he came back with the dog and watched his sister being given it.'
Owen had a history of asthma attacks, some of which had warranted hospital treatment. Mrs Asker explained that Owen and Tegan and two of there cousins had been playing in the garden before his wheezing took hold:
'He came back into the living room and said he needed his inhaler. He was given it but it didn't seem to work. My son drove my daughter back home so she could pick up his nebuliser and bring it back but that didn't help much either. Tracy [Owen's mother] got on the phone to the doctors' on-call service and they said to phone 999 which they did. She was talking to the ambulance people when he suddenly started to fit. Then he just got worse. I got the other children out of the way while my son and daughter and daughter-in-law did mouth-to-mouth on him and CPR.'
Mrs Asker said that when the paramedics arrived, Owen had gone into cardiac arrest.
'They carried on working on him, but there was nothing they could do,' she said, adding, 'He was such a happy little boy and he made friends so easily.'
Owen's funeral was held yesterday (Tuesday). He was buried alongside his grandfather, Phillip Asker, who died three years ago.