A 54-year-old Wisbech woman ended up in hospital with a life-threatening asthma attack two days after smelling festive aromas from Christmas displays at a Peterborough garden centre.

 “I thought I was going to die,” said Anne Murray, who was born with asthma and whose mother, Mary, died from an asthma attack at the age of 35 in 1974. 

According to a national newspaper account, Anne is allergic to certain spices and scents and has to avoid things like mince pies and cakes at Christmas. Even inhaling orange zest aromas can trigger breathing difficulties..

Anne didn’t notice the “distinct Christmas smell” when she entered the garden centre in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire but had to use her inhaler ten minutes later after smelling mince pies and pine cones. 

When the attack worsened, she was rushed to hospital, where she was given steroids and oxygen. She returned to her work as an aerospace engineer a month later.

“People don’t realise how severe asthma can be, so it’s good to raise awareness,” she told the newspaper.