Our food allergy community sits stunned today as we just witnessed two young people lose their lives to food allergic reactions just days apart. My thoughts and prayers to the family of Canadian college freshman Andrea Mariano and Colorado resident Simon Katz they must be experiencing unthinkable pain and sorrow today. Below are links to their stories and headlines. Andrea was a college freshman starting a new adventure who simply ordered a smoothie on campus. Simon was a sixteen year old high school student and accomplished musician who ate a S’more at a school bonfire. Both were doing normal youth activities. Both did not have immediate access to life saving epinephrine. I feel it is important to honor these two young people and respect their family’s grief and privacy. Their deaths are our motivation to do the right thing. Their deaths will save lives and I predict, they will change protocol in colleges and schools. I believe we need to pause and think about what can learn and change in our small slice of life.
Current headlines:
Teen Dies of Suspected Anaphylaxis After Eating Peanut Snack at School Bonfire
Chattfield High Student After Eating S’Mores Containing Peanut
Multiple Canadian Universities Reviewing Policies After Student Dies From Allergic Reaction
Canadian Student Dies After Ordering Smoothie on Campus: suffers severe allergic reaction: family
What’s Next? As bystanders to these possibly preventable losses, how should we process these events? Should we take action? Do we freak out? For me: yes, I am freaking out. My son is a high school senior and will be off to college in less than a year. He attended a bonfire at his school well recently. So, how we climb down from the ledge to learn from and honor the lives of these young people? With a strong dose of reality and education.
Self Education. Once again, the common thread was lack of access to their lifesaving EpiPen® -epinephrine auto-injectors. Were EpiPen® forgotten due the excitement and changes that a new school year brings? Poor medical direction? I shared with my son what took place and I asked him what when wrong. His answer, “they didn’t have their EPI on them.” We then talked about ways to remember his EpiPen® and Auvi-Q® (he carries one version for school and one for social). Thankfully, technology and a few interesting companies are bringing us solutions to help us remember to carry our epinephrine auto-injectors–I will blog about that in a few days. Visiting your board certified allergist on a regular basis is key too. Make sure your family’s food allergy management protocol is up to date and you are taking proper precautions.
Community Education. This topic requires a separate blog post about food service, colleges and just because policy is in place, doesn’t mean it is being carried out properly. Stay tuned for that conversation. The conversation about schools must continue. Not only to protect the student with life threatening food allergies, but the people serving fatal foods and the students witnessing the reaction. I can’t imagine the pain these people are suffering-we need to address their mental health too.
There are many more conversations ahead regarding the learning from these two deaths. For now, our love and support go to the families of Andrea Mariano and Simon Katz.
May their memories be eternal.
One of the hardest things I find about managing both life threatening food allergies and asthma is talking to others. I hate to be the one that might be perceived as demanding, pushing or for asking too much. What I now know, fourteen years later, is that honest, clear information presented with kindness works!..
Good to process these tragic deaths and my heart goes out to the families. In addition to having epi on hand the other thing that might have changed the outcome in Colorado would have been taking a look at ingredients before eating something; but this means a teen has to single themselves out, or do without – neither of these options are particularly appealing to the teen brain. But it is another self-education piece that is core to keeping any food allergic individual safe. Always asking for a label.
Kelly,
You bring up a great point: the teen brain. We need to want our children to take on very adult health responsibilities as a society, yet science is now telling us this may not be possible. I would love to explore this more and the reality of society’s expectations. Label reading is simply a must.
I held my breath reading about these tragic losses because of the shock (again) and, that we know this could be any one of us in the food allergy community. My heart is pounding with fear, grief and heightened emotions that immediately trigger my need to remind my daughter’s school, again, of the risks she may encounter on and off campus.
Our teens who are soon leaving or have left the nest, have been taught to check, check and double check for safe snacks and food, but there’s always that chance when cross contamination or a mistake by a food service employee puts them in danger of anaphylaxis. Reminding our children everyday to keep two epinephrine auto-injectors on hand, to check every label-even when you think you’ve seen it before, ask your food service prep while viewing the food service area, and “when in doubt, do without” is a constant work in progress and may just not be enough, especially on a new campus.
This is where ‘disability services’ and the dean at any college or boarding school needs to take an active role. Training a staff of food service employees about safe foods and what anaphylaxis is, can not come simply from the student. It starts from the top down in creating safe foods and environments for students. You’re so right Caroline, this conversation needs to keep going to educate our schools at all levels.