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In Memory: Remembering those who've had fatal food reactions page 3
hedgehog
Member


Posted: Nov 10th, 2007 at 06:24 am

Lisa, I think that is even sadder than death. Smiley At least with death there is some closure for the family, but in that situation, there is none.

http://www.the3day.org/goto/deedaigle
USA
Remmy
Moderator


Posted: Nov 10th, 2007 at 09:40 am

Nov 10th, 2007 at 12:53 am, LisaFromAustralia wrote:
I can't add any names to this far too long list of names but I could add one (unfortunately I don't know her name) who didn't die from a reaction but suffered horrific brain damage and now lives in a nursing home. Her two teenage children, who were toddlers at the time, the youngest was only 1, cannot remember their mother as she wasSmiley


So sad indeed. Smiley

I asked DH after my last one that if I couldn't be myself to just let me go. I wouldn't wanna live any other way and I'm greatful that I can.



JR
Member


Posted: Nov 10th, 2007 at 10:08 am

Nov 10th, 2007 at 12:53 am, LisaFromAustralia wrote:
I can't add any names to this far too long list of names but I could add one (unfortunately I don't know her name) who didn't die from a reaction but suffered horrific brain damage and now lives in a nursing home. Her two teenage children, who were toddlers at the time, the youngest was only 1, cannot remember their mother as she wasSmiley


Richelle Townsend

Jana
http://www.wafeast.org

Thank you to Conference Sponsors Spokane FASN, Allerbling, Allergy Monkey, Coconut Bliss, Dey the makers of EpiPen, Bastyr Center, Medic Alert, Navan Foods and Microsoft Employee Giving Programs!!

adult son: severe allergies to milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, coconut, shellfish, mollusks. Eczema,
artlvr
Member


Posted: Nov 10th, 2007 at 11:27 am

Here's a story on Richelle Townsend...
http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/cover_stories/transcript_1770.asp

Here's a clip of what appears to be an interview. I think I got all of the conversation w/Richelle Townsend's family...

Quote:
HELEN DALLEY: Most of us don't understand a true allergy like young Sam's. While some people have minor attacks, anaphylaxis or a severe allergic reaction occurs when an allergen, like peanut protein, normally harmless, is ingested. The immune system goes into overdrive. Antibodies believe the allergen, represented here by the green spiky balls, is an enemy invader, and they trigger a major defensive reaction, releasing masses of chemicals into the tissues to try and protect the body, causing inflammation. That leads to the varying symptoms from itchiness, hives and, more dangerously, loss of blood pressure, swelling of the airways and passing out. Antihistamine drugs and adrenaline work to stop the reaction. But Richelle Townsend didn't have the benefit of such a life-saver as adrenaline.

SHANE TOWNSEND: No, no EpiPen. Never even heard of an EpiPen back then.

HELEN DALLEY: Richelle and her husband, Shane, knew she was asthmatic and peanut allergic, but 15 years ago EpiPen wasn't even available in Australia. They had no idea how severe an allergic attack could be till she had one.

SHANE TOWNSEND: When I first saw this allergy at her boss's place, it looked like she had done 12 rounds with Mike Tyson. You could hardly see her eyes, they were that swollen. Her face swelled up. She was like that way — took her about a week for it to go down.

HELEN DALLEY: Thinking her allergy was under control, the pair loved to eat out at Asian restaurants in Sydney's Newtown — Richelle always careful to avoid peanuts. But one night in 1991, with new baby Caitlin in tow, they ate in a Thai restaurant. Shane says he quizzed staff about their use of peanuts and peanut oil.

SHANE TOWNSEND: The maitre d, who came to the table, went back to the kitchen, came back, reassured us that this dish, this dish, this dish, did not contain peanuts. They did not cook with the peanut oil.

HELEN DALLEY: Despite assurances, Richelle somehow had just a trace of peanut, triggering a catastrophic reaction. Starting to feel unwell, her eyes puffing up, they left the restaurant.

SHANE TOWNSEND: She was pushing the stroller for a while there and said, "Can you take over?" And I thought, "Yeah, fine." I looked at her and said, "Are you OK?" And she said, "No, I'm not." And that's basically when she collapsed. Richelle was just going blue and was all puffed up and I just sort of ripped open her shirt and started putting breath into her and giving her CPR, with the help of my brother-in-law.

HELEN DALLEY: But Shane was unable to revive his adored wife and she was rushed to hospital.

SHANE TOWNSEND: I thought she was going to die. And now I wish she had of.

HELEN DALLEY: Richelle had finally emerged from her coma but irreparably damaged. She had been deprived of oxygen for too long.

SHANE TOWNSEND: I don't think she's got a quality of life. I don't think she ever has had a quality of life since that day. And her condition I would only describe as severely brain damaged.

HELEN DALLEY: Wheelchair-bound, fed through a tube, Richelle now lives in a nursing home. Shane says she hasn't heard her speak for 10 years. A young mother with her future before her, and a whole family's life shattered by anaphylaxis.

SHANE TOWNSEND: It's too hard watching the way she is. It's too hard watching the way my children react when she's there. And watching my in-laws grow old before their time. Sorry.

HELEN DALLEY: Tragically, the couple's two daughters, Caitlin and Keah, were too young to remember their mum as she was, but grew up with her as she is now.

CAITLIN TOWNSEND: It's probably been harder for him than, like, us because he knew her when she was well and seeing her go from being, like, one day she was perfect, everything was good, and the next day they go out and she's just in a coma. Sometimes the way people talk about her it's hard, because they talk about how good she used to be and how beautiful she was and how special she was.

KEAH TOWNSEND: We've never known her like that. We've only known her being in a wheelchair, like ...

CAITLIN TOWNSEND: Yeah.

HELEN DALLEY: The family sued the restaurant to cover the exorbitant costs of Richelle's constant medical care. The case took almost 10 years to get to court and was finally settled for an undisclosed amount. But apart from a compensation, Shane and Richelle's family had high hopes the celebrated case would wake people up to the potential devastation of food allergy.

SHANE TOWNSEND: I just thought that maybe through this that someone would pick up the ball and run with it, but it doesn't seem to have happened.

(edited to add interview)

« Last Edited by artlvr Nov 10th, 2007 at 11:36 am »

Kimberly
Midwest, USA

PA only



Posted: Nov 13th, 2007 at 12:26 am

This was a story on a "Sunday" a news program on local station. The item was "When food can kill" and featured over a 2 week period (was on 2 years ago). I watched it and had my husband recorded it so he could watch after church (I was away attending internment of my mothers ashes on the same weekend).


Posted: Nov 15th, 2007 at 09:00 am

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22758673-24331,00.html

November 15, 2007 12:00am
MICHELLE Bray's friends and workmates knew her as a quiet, happy, health-conscious person who was training to be a fitness instructor.

What they did not know about the Brisbane waitress was her severe allergy to seafood.

Given that Michelle, 21, did not own an EpiPen -- considered a must for people with severe food allergies -- it is likely she did not know the extent of her allergy herself.

However on Monday night at her workplace Christmas party, Michelle suffered a severe anaphylactic reaction to a dim sim and collapsed while playing table tennis with her best friend.

An ambulance was called and during the nine minutes it took to arrive, workmates including a bartender training as a paramedic, administered CPR.

Paramedics took over but by the time Michelle was in the ambulance she was unconscious and without a pulse.

Further attempts to resuscitate her were made when she reached Redlands Hospital, but to no avail.

President of Anaphylaxis Australia Maria Said said the tragic case suggested Michelle had not been properly diagnosed.

"Dim sims are considered a high-risk food for sufferers of seafood allergies," she said.

"There are lots of adults out in the community who know they're allergic to food but haven't had access to proper diagnosis and treatment."

About one in 100 Australian adults are allergic to certain foods, and up to one in 25 children.

JR
Member


Posted: Dec 6th, 2007 at 08:06 pm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=500129&in_page_id=1770
Tikka masala killed teenage girl
Last updated at 17:58pm on 6th December 2007
Smiley

A teenage girl died after suffering an allergic reaction from eating a curry, an inquest was told.

Stephanie Faulkner, 14, was out for a meal with her best friend but suffered a severe anaphylactic shock after she ate a chicken tikka masala at a Bangladeshi restaurant.

Dudley's Coroners Court heard how her death was caused by a nut allergy after a meal at the Spice Barrel restaurant in Tipton, West Midlands.

Stephanie, who had been due to celebrate her 15th birthday the following week, had been visiting the Bangladeshi restaurant with best friend Hannah Boden and Hannah's parents on August 17 of this year.
Hannah's step-father Simon Clements said Stephanie ate just three or four mouthfuls before leaving the rest of the mild dish.

The teen then ordered a strawberry ice cream for dessert before disappearing to the toilet where pal Hannah discovered Stephanie being sick.

A taxi took her home where Stephanie collapsed before being rushed to Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley, where she was later pronounced dead.

At the inquest, Mr Clements said: “Stephanie ordered the meal herself - she mentioned she had to watch what she ate.

"I asked her if she had had a curry before and she said 'yes'. We went through the menu and it did not mention nuts.”

Stephanie's father David Faulkner described her death as an “unfortunate accident” and said he “attached no blame to anyone".


Coroner Robin Balmain recorded a verdict of accidental death and said the cause was an anaphylactic shock due to a nut allergy.

Tributes were paid to Stephanie today as schoolfriends at High Arcal School, in Dudley, described her as a popular and funny girl.

Schoolfriend Natalie Cass, 15, who was best friends with Stephanie throughout primary school, said: "She was really funny, she had a great sense of humour and really cared about her friends.

"Stephanie loved going shopping and loved going out with her mates. She was really popular and loads of pupils from the school went to the funeral - there were so many people who were devastated when she died.

"She was a really good friend, you could tell her anything and trust her to keep secrets.

"I knew she had to be careful with what she ate - but I had no idea it was that serious."

Another close pal Chris Barfoot, 15, said: "I just couldn't believe it when I heard the news but when I came into school and I saw people crying, that's when I started to believe it.

"We would always mess around and have a laugh together, I really miss her."

The menu at the curry house now warns customers to notify staff if they have any food allergies.


Jana
http://www.wafeast.org

Thank you to Conference Sponsors Spokane FASN, Allerbling, Allergy Monkey, Coconut Bliss, Dey the makers of EpiPen, Bastyr Center, Medic Alert, Navan Foods and Microsoft Employee Giving Programs!!

adult son: severe allergies to milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, coconut, shellfish, mollusks. Eczema,
katjam99
Member


Posted: Dec 6th, 2007 at 08:11 pm

Heartbreaking.

2 PA, TNA Kids
USA
JR
Member


Posted: Mar 9th, 2008 at 06:48 pm

Booandbrimom has .pdfs of the Memorial here:
http://booandbrimom.diinoweb.com/files/?gallery

Jana
http://www.wafeast.org

Thank you to Conference Sponsors Spokane FASN, Allerbling, Allergy Monkey, Coconut Bliss, Dey the makers of EpiPen, Bastyr Center, Medic Alert, Navan Foods and Microsoft Employee Giving Programs!!

adult son: severe allergies to milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, coconut, shellfish, mollusks. Eczema,
pluckymama
Member


Posted: Mar 18th, 2008 at 03:55 pm

I think this thread is really sad, I don't really much like it. Thankfully most of the people who die are people who don't know the facts about their allergies, not children of people like us who are on the ball.

DS 1 - peanuts
DS 2 - kiwi
JR
Member


Posted: Mar 25th, 2008 at 06:15 pm

Carol Kiener
http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9005661
Johnson City's Carol Kiener dies after suffering allergic reaction to peanuts
Published 03/25/2008 By TERESA HICKS

JOHNSON CITY — Carol Kiener, wife of retired Washington County Sessions Court Judge John Kiener, died Monday afternoon at Johnson City Medical Center after suffering a severe allergic reaction to peanuts.

Mountain States Health Alliance officials said Carol Kiener was admitted to the hospital on Saturday night and was listed in critical condition Monday.

The family made the decision to remove her from life support Monday afternoon, and she passed away at 4:30 p.m.

Carol Kiener served many years as an elementary teacher for the Johnson City school system. In the early 1990s, she switched from elementary education to adult education, helping students earn their GED certificates.



http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Detail.php?Cat=LOCALNEWS&ID=62155
Story published: 03-25-2008 •Updated March 24, 2008 11:14:03 PM
Former educator, wife of ex-Sessions judge dies of allergic reaction
Kiener


By Teresa Hicks
Press Medical/Health Writer
thicks@johnsoncitypress.com

Retired teacher Mrs. Kiener had been hospitalized with severe reaction to peanuts.
Carol Kiener, wife of retired Washington County Sessions Court Judge John Kiener, died Monday afternoon at Johnson City Medical Center after suffering a severe allergic reaction to peanuts.

Mountain States Health Alliance officials said Kiener was admitted to the hospital on Saturday night and was listed in critical condition Monday. The family made the decision to remove Mrs. Kiener from life support Monday afternoon, and she passed away at 4:30 p.m.





« Last Edited by JR Mar 26th, 2008 at 02:53 pm »

Jana
http://www.wafeast.org

Thank you to Conference Sponsors Spokane FASN, Allerbling, Allergy Monkey, Coconut Bliss, Dey the makers of EpiPen, Bastyr Center, Medic Alert, Navan Foods and Microsoft Employee Giving Programs!!

adult son: severe allergies to milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, coconut, shellfish, mollusks. Eczema,
JR
Member


Posted: Apr 7th, 2008 at 09:42 am

Paul VonderMeulen forwarded this information about eight year old Andrew Smith who died in February Smiley

There is a video of the mom's interview
http://tristatehomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=5678
Boy Battled Peanut Allergy
Reported by: jmonroe@wtvw.com
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008 @10:06pm CST

There is no limit to a mother's love. It's the kind of bond that would compel a woman to lay down her life to protect her child. That's the kind of love Pamela Smith feels for her son Andrew.
But the Evansville mom says, she never even knew her son was in danger.
Andrew had a peanut allergy... one of many food allergies that skeptics say aren't nearly as serious as the media and special interest groups make them out to be.
Pamela says, those skeptics are dead wrong. Now, she is on a mission to set the record straight.

Our story begins late last fall, November, at Daniel Wertz Elementary. The students in Mrs. Hubble's 2nd grade class were working on a writing exercise about Thanksgiving. Eight year old Andrew Smith was in that class, and his teacher says, he was a natural writer.

Andrew's mother Pamela says her son had a fascination with words. He aced his spelling tests. Spelling was his favorite subject. And sometimes, he'd leave for school without even practicing. You might say, Andrew was a breeze to raise.

He was a such an easy kid, it was easy to forget he was fragile, in a way. Fragile because of a food allergy. Andrew was allergic to a protein in peanuts. He was a year old the first time his parents noticed it. Pam says, Andrew's face and eyes swelled after tasting peanut butter and he turned red.

Fearful, she gave him a liquid antihistamine to counteract the allergic reaction. Most people don't have to worry about what they eat, but in people who have food allergies, the body mistakes a food protein as something that could be harmful and it goes on the attack.

The body opens up mass-cells that then release a host of chemicals that go on to make the allergic reaction. Even a small encounter with a food protein can be serious for somebody who's allergic to it.

Welborn Clinic Allergist Dr. Anne McLaughlin treats patients with food allergies. She says, through awareness efforts and education, schools have become proactive in keeping kids with food allergies safe. Kids with allergies sit at separate tables. And at Montossori Academy, no peanuts nor tree-nuts allowed - period. A little extreme? Dr. McLaughlin says, no way.

"I think for families that don't have food allergies, it's a little bit hard to understand. And it's hard for other people to make changes in their life when they haven't encountered it personally."

An article published in the January 2008 Harpers Magazine threatened to steal any headway food allergy awareness advocates have made. In it, writer Meredith Broussard calls reports of food allergy deaths "mostly myths," and she accuses fearful parents and medical professionals of exaggerating the threat of food allergies.

The article generated an on-slaught of backlash from health professionals and parents alike. Parents who, like Pamela Smith, know just how quickly anaphylaxic shock can happen. This past February, Andrew accidently came into contact with peanut allergens at home. His dad called 911 because Andrew's airways started closing. The boys lips turned blue and he collapsed before help could even arrive. Doctors at the hospital got his heart beating again but gave his parents some somber news. Andrew was brain dead. Reluctantly, his parents took him off life support and Andrew died.

Pamela said, "I was mad at God at first, I really was. Why? You know? He was mine."
But then, it was as if God answered her. Hours after Andrews death, the couple discovered a writing assignment dated November 8th, 2007 in a folder at home that had been missing for months.

"It said, I am most thankful for being alive. If I were not alive, then there would be no Andrew. I thank my mom for bringing me alive. We feel like we we'd have been trapping him if we'd have kept him going. It wasn't living liek he said. Now he's alive."

Pamela says, if she'd only known how severe food allergies can be, peanuts never would have been allowed in the house. And if she'd only known, she could have better protected Andrew from his own body, and his allergy to one seemingly harmless, little food.

For more information - copy this link into your browser:
Http://aaaai.Org/
It's the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology webpage. There you can find a host of online tools and additional information on food allergies.

Also, there is a fund set up at Old National Bank: Michael & Pamela Smith in the benefit of Andrew Smith. The family opened the account for help with final expenses. That account remains open.


His obituary is here and mentions his asthma
http://www.legacy.com/CourierPress/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=103044945

Jana
http://www.wafeast.org

Thank you to Conference Sponsors Spokane FASN, Allerbling, Allergy Monkey, Coconut Bliss, Dey the makers of EpiPen, Bastyr Center, Medic Alert, Navan Foods and Microsoft Employee Giving Programs!!

adult son: severe allergies to milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, coconut, shellfish, mollusks. Eczema,
JR
Member


Posted: Apr 21st, 2008 at 09:47 am

http://www.wwmt.com/news/montcalm_1348696___article.html/county_inmate.html
Inmate dies from allergic reaction
April 21, 2008 - 8:57AM
MONTCALM COUNTY (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A 30-year-old inmate at the Montcalm County Jail has died after being served a peanut butter sandwich.

Paul Thurston was arrested on an assault charge early Sunday and was lodged in the county jail.

At lunch he was served a peanut butter sandwich and had a severe allergic reaction. He was treated by the duty jail nurse, correctional staff and Montcalm County EMS before being transported to Sheridan Hospital where he later died.

Jail authorities say that Thurston was asked if he had any allergies during his booking procedure, but he did not inform them of his allergy.

The sheriff's department will conduct an internal investigation into the death.

Jana
http://www.wafeast.org

Thank you to Conference Sponsors Spokane FASN, Allerbling, Allergy Monkey, Coconut Bliss, Dey the makers of EpiPen, Bastyr Center, Medic Alert, Navan Foods and Microsoft Employee Giving Programs!!

adult son: severe allergies to milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, coconut, shellfish, mollusks. Eczema,
[ Guest ]ann bacchus
Posted: Apr 29th, 2008 at 07:44 pm


I am Kareem's mother. I miss him every day but today it was especially very rough. Thank you for the memorial. And let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Ann

McCobbre
Moderator


Posted: Apr 29th, 2008 at 08:50 pm

Oh, please accept our deepest condolences. What an incredible voice your son had--my eyes well up everytime I hear "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," because I think of your son.

I wish you peace.

"Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic. They are potent forms of enchantment, rich with the power to hurt or heal."~Albus Dumbledore



Me: shellfish, chamomile, sesame and a few odds & ends
DS: peanuts