I ran across this article this morning and want to uplift it as a clear example.
Natalie Giorgi was a teenager who knew how to handle her allergy. Her father is a doctor and was present. She was informed and cautious. This was not a child that didn't know better. She could have been me.
She tasted something by accident in a dark room at a party. Natalie immediately realized what she had done and responded in the best ways possible: inform a responsible adult and stay with them, monitor the reaction, inject epinephrine, see a doctor... And she lost her life anyway.
Its this kind of event that scares us. This is why we don't go to parties, or don't eat when we do. And the whole thing is so easy to avoid. Whenever you're planning a large event, its so much easier to just leave nuts off the menu than have this kind of emergency arise. And for all sorts of allergies, diseases, and other food restrictions, clearly label all food and have it in a well lit area. Dangerous ingredients often hide in even the simplest looking foods and dark rooms make it even easier to make a mistake.
Natalie didn't react for 20 minutes. They thought they were in the clear. "Natalie was monitored by her parents for 20 minutes and showed no
symptoms. Then she vomited one time and had a shortness of breath. Her father then administered an EpiPen, an injection device used to deliver epinephrine, and gave her oxygen. Brothers said Natalie then suffered anaphylactic shock and cardiac arrest."
Reactions usually begin within minutes, but they can happen as long as an hour or two after exposure. Most people don't know this, so its common to assume that after 15 minutes if you haven't reacted, you're in the clear. Its wise to be cautious for several hours.
Natalie's father, Dr. Louis Giorgi said, "While our hearts are breaking over the tragic loss of our beautiful
daughter Natalie, it is our hope that others can learn from this and
realize that nut and food allergies are life-threatening. Caution and
care for those inflicted should always be supported and taken."
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