Ian Rush collapsed after waking in the middle of the night, and his partner Carol called emergency services. According to Daily Express - Sport, Ian Rush described thinking he was a goner, with the experience feeling like drowning, and credited Carol, a trained lifeguard, with keeping him breathing until NHS responders arrived. He recounted telling himself he needed to keep fighting during the incident.
The exact medical tests that led to his asthma diagnosis remain unclear, as does what specifically triggered the health scare in December and whether it was related to a particular event or condition. Sharon Marshall's hay fever triggers asthma attacks because the inflamed upper airway sends signals to the lungs, according to Professor Adam Fox, an allergy expert. According to Daily Mail - Home, Professor Adam Fox described how severe hay fever can cause angry signals to travel from the nose to the lungs, resulting in asthma attacks.
I remember sort of waiting until nine o'clock, ringing the doctor's surgery and they were like, 'Come in immediately'.
Sharon Marshall has been treated with expensive desensitisation therapy, though the specific type and its effectiveness are not detailed. According to Daily Mail - Home, Sharon Marshall described collapsing in a doctor's surgery and waking in an ambulance, with medical staff informing her she was going into cardiac arrest and needed hospitalisation to save her life. She also mentioned using the strongest asthma inhaler daily and going through an inhaler set weekly, with annual episodes requiring stronger steroids and inhalers.
Ian Rush was recommended more sunshine, swimming, and learning to breathe correctly as part of his recovery. According to Daily Express - Sport, Ian Rush described how doctors asked him during recovery how long he had been suffering from asthma, to which he replied he did not know he had it. He also reflected on reassessing priorities, thinking about preparations for worst-case scenarios that he previously put off.
I don't really remember much past that because I just collapsed in the doctor's surgery and I came round in the back of an ambulance.
It is unknown if there are any ongoing health monitoring or follow-up treatments for Sharon Marshall or Ian Rush, and how common adult-onset asthma misdiagnosis is, along with typical diagnostic challenges, remains unspecified.
I said, 'Oh, what's happening', and they said, 'we're taking you to hospital' and my first reaction was, 'Will I be back? Can I just go by the house and feed my cat?'
This lovely guy who was helping was saying: 'You're going into cardiac arrest, we're trying to take you into hospital to save your life no you can't feed your cat'.
I was on the strongest asthma inhaler every single day.
I was going through an asthma inhaler set in a week.
Every year it was just this terrifying thing of, 'I can't breathe' – stronger and stronger steroids and asthma inhalers.
So the problem isn't chronic all the time asthma, it's just that when your hay fever is bad enough, if you imagine the lining of your nose is connected to the lining of your lungs. So if your upper airway because of the hay fever is really angry, can send really angry signals down to your lower airway, your lungs, and give you what listens will be an asthma attack. And of course, that can be very, very severe.
I thought I was a goner. It was like I was drowning. I was in a state of panic and Carol, who is a trained lifeguard, kept me breathing, and then the NHS people were brilliant. I was telling myself: 'No, I'm not ready to go, I need to keep fighting. This can't be the end.'
When I was recovering the doctors asked me how long I have been suffering from asthma. I told them I didn't know I did.
There are so many things you start thinking about that you never did before – all the things you need to have in place if the worst happens but you would usually put it off.
I've spent most of my life downplaying my goal records a bit. I've always said they are there to be broken, and what mattered most is that the team won trophies. I still believe that. I'd love someone to pass me because it means the club will have a chance to win more.
There is also a part of me which now thinks if someone wants to ask about my records, why shouldn't I let them shout about it? I remember when John Charles passed away and there was an outpouring of appreciation for what he did. I thought at the time it was a shame he didn't realise how much people loved him when he was alive. I think clubs, certainly Liverpool, are a lot better at recognising the achievements of former players than they used to be.