CBBC star recalls terrifying moment he thought he would die from condition which made him feel like his lungs were 'encased in cement'
CBBC presenter Raphael Olaiya has recalled the terrifying moment he thought he would die during an asthma attack.
The doctor, 30, has had the condition since he was a child but he had no idea he suffered with it at the time of the attack.
He described the horrific moment when he was gasping for air as if his lungs were 'encased in cement'.
Raphael told the Mirror: 'That feeling of impending doom was visceral.
'I will never forget the awful sensation of fighting for every breath. It was terrifying.'
Horrific: CBBC presenter Raphael Olaiya, 30, has recalled the terrifying moment he thought he would die during an asthma attack
Undiagnosed: The doctor has had the condition since he was a child but he had no idea he suffered with it at the time of the attack
The children's TV star, who is known as Dr Raph on Operation Ouch! which he hosts with his twin brother Daniel, had not been diagnosed with asthma.
However, while at a friend's birthday party at the age of six, he began struggling to breathe as he sat next to a parent who was smoking.
He took himself off to lie down but his breathing did not improve.
Raphael said: 'I was fighting so hard just to get air into my body, and I can remember feeling incredibly clammy and sick.
'It was as if my lungs had been encased in cement.
'I didn’t know what to do as I couldn’t even speak.'
Looking back, he is now able to see he was suffering an asthma attack and was in 'extreme respiratory distress'.
His grandmother was fortunately on hand and spotted the signs, rushing him to hospital for treatment.
Terrifying: He described the horrific moment when he was gasping for air as if his lungs were 'encased in cement'
Family affair: Raphael is known as Dr Raph on Operation Ouch! which he hosts with his twin brother Daniel (left)
Dr Raph was then put on a nebuliser to open his airways and ease his breathing.
He was later sent home with an inhaler but found himself in similarly terrifying situation just a couple of years later.
He was then given a proper diagnosis and was prescribed two inhalers to manage any symptoms.
Raph said: 'Asthma isn't taken seriously enough, and I know from working in a hospital it can be incredibly dangerous, even fatal.'
Struggle: While at a friend's birthday party at the age of six, he began struggling to breathe as he sat next to a parent who was smoking
