Another Food Allergy Death?

[ajasfolks2]

PLYMOUTH, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- A 19-year-old Bryant University freshman who has severe peanut allergies died Friday after accidentally eating a peanut butter cookie; however, authorities are investigating if that was all that was in the cookie.

http://wap.myfoxboston.com/w/main/story/86835761

[Mfamom]

How sad!  When will it end!?

[rainbow]

The cookie seemed to have BOTH peanut butter and possibly, marijuana.  This college freshman was home on spring break from Bryant University.

http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/21579121/2013/03/11/promising-plymouth-teen-with-peanut-allergy-dies-after-eating-cookie

[GingerPye]

 

[candyguru]

more info.. they say peanut oil was the cause.. I always thought refined peanut oil (ie Planters) had no peanut protein, maybe this was cold pressed peanut oil?

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Allergies/college-freshman-peanut-allergy-dies-eating-cookie/story?id=18723777


By KAREN KELLER
March 15, 2013
Robin Fitzpatrick never knew peanuts could kill her son.

Cameron Groezinger-Fitzpatrick, 19, a college freshman who suffered from a severe nut allergy, died last Friday after eating a cookie that contained peanut oil. His friend had sworn it didn't.

"We were all so shocked, it came out of nowhere," Fitzpatrick told ABCNews.com. "For 19 years, he had been knock-on-wood safe."

The Plymouth, Mass., native was first diagnosed with a nut allergy when he was 8, after projectile-vomiting "across the room" at a Chinese restaurant, his mother said. In high school he suffered from a serious allergic reaction after he dropped his asthma inhaler into a pile of acorns while running. The wild nuts caused his throat to constrict. But he was fine after getting prompt treatment, his mother said.

Then, one week ago, he ate half a cookie.

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Robin Fitzpatrick
Cameron Groezinger-Fitzpatrick, 19, died from... View Full Size

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Spring break had just started and the international business major with plans to study abroad in Australia had only been home for two hours, on a visit from Rhode Island where he attended Bryant University, according to his mother.

He and his friend were out driving and bought cookies. Groezinger- Fitzpatrick's friend ate one first. The friend said he didn't taste any hint of peanut.

"He said, Ah, the hell with it, I'm sure it's fine," his friend recalled Groezinger- Fitzpatrick as saying, his mother said.

Within minutes the teen was home; it was about 6:30 that evening, and he was doubled over and turning black and blue, his mother said. "I can't breathe, I can't breathe," he had said. He hadn't unpacked yet so his mom couldn't find his Epi-Pen -- an epinephrine autoinjector. She had one in her cupboard but it had expired two months earlier. First responders told her over the phone that she shouldn't use it.

A fire chief who lived next door brought over an Epi-Pen, which was administered to the teen. (Later, his doctor told his mother she could have used the expired pen, but couldn't say whether it would have helped him.)

Once at the hospital, 15 people tag-teamed to perform CPR on the dying teen. For two hours, they tried to revive him.

"I was begging so much, these people were crying and working on him, thinking, 'We're only doing this for the mother,'" she said.

At 9 p.m., he was declared dead. Fitzpatrick stayed with her son's body until 1 a.m.

"I didn't know you can die from nut allergies. I feel foolish," she said.

At least three million American children suffer from a food or digestive allergy, and the problem is growing, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 1997 and 2007, the figure rose 18 percent.

Severe food allergies stem from a combination of genes, environment and possibly diet, said Dr. Kari Nadeau, associate professor of allergies and immunology at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

"We need more research to be done to help save lives," she said. "We don't have all the answers now."


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As a small child, Groezinger-Fitzpatrick refused to nuts because their smell made him sick.

"It's almost like his body knew," said his mother.

Doctors later diagnosed him with an allergy to all nuts and told Groezinger- Fitzpatrick he could live a normal life. But he had to be very careful.

He wrote a bucket list at age 9. He carried an Epi-Pen. He checked food labels and questioned food service workers constantly.

But on Friday, there was no label. And his body didn't alert him to danger.

Now Groezinger-Fitzpatrick, who was on the dean's list at his college, won't be able to live in Australia with his girlfriend or work in finance.

He just might be able to cross off one of his bucket list items, though -- to save a life. He donated his organs.

"He always wanted to do something big," said his mother, as she prepared to attend his wake. More than 1,000 people were expected. "He's going out big. He's going to make others realize [they need to] be supercautious. Be your biggest advocate," she said.

[Mfamom]

I also thought that was interesting,Candyguru.  I know everyone is different....my ds used to eat store made oriental rice crackers made with peanut oil pre diagnosis.  Never any problem.  would have mystery reactions though to plain m&m.  (this is all before I knew he was allergic to peanuts).

[CMdeux]

I read that as "unlabeled" probably meaning "bakery-made" rather than prepackaged.

I hardly think that implicates peanut OIL as a probable cause, particularly in someone who apparently had lived with a fairly high threshold-- as he must have, or he'd not have been living without carrying an epipen, or having exercised a LOT more aggressive interventions in a collegiate environment.  I get the sense that they lived more or less normally... meaning, restaurants, food prepared by others, no particular accommodations to limit environmental exposures, etc.

I'm guessing gross cross-contamination.    How very sad that they were evidently never really educated about the life-threatening nature of the allergy and the need for very aggressive treatment of anaphylaxis. 

I'm appalled that she was told NOT to use an epinephrine autoinjector barely out of date, though.       WOW.  How horrifying.     That makes me ANGRY at whoever told her that.  VERY angry.   Nobody will ever know if that might have made the difference, but how awful beyond words to know that it might have.   

[Jessica]

I also think it's heartbreaking that no one told her (or she forgot, which seems unlikely) that you can die from food allergies. Why did her son's doctor never tell her the full risk?

[Macabre]

Yeah, when I read it this morning, linked to from A FB post, I had to put my phone down after seeing the Emergency staff said NOT to use an expired Epi. I got so, so angry.

I will say that we avoid peanut oil for a reason. Before DS' vegetarian days, when he was a toddler he would cry if I pulled into CFA (if I was going to have to eat fast food on the run, their chicken tasted the BEST). Eventually I avoided it and he forgot. I went there one day, and DS  had some chicken bites and developed hives all over the area around his mouth. (Burks discounted this as possibly being allergic to milk or egg then, but he never had problems with egg and was doing fine with milk by that point). Another time he became lethargic and vomited after having chips friend in regular pn oil. He was much bettr after he threw up.

So we avoid peanut oil.

That said, I highly doubt there was peanut oil in the cookies. It's not an ingredient typically used in cookies. It's also more expensive.

I bet it was cross contamination, as CM said. It's far more likely.

I just feel horrible for this family.

I am glad DS knows that at least with the EpiPen you can look at the color if the fluid and see if it has yellowed. That's a drawback with the AuviQ I guess. When we were moving I find yellowed epis and we all looked at them in various light before disposing of them (properly).

Oh my. This didn't have to happen. This family shouldn't be experiencing such a loss.
The mom said she feels foolish. That should be the least of her troubles. I feel for her. Their doctor should feel horrified that he or she didn't communicate the risks. In this day and age I can't imagine not knowing this could be fatal. I mean, when DS had his first reaction, is seen peanut allergy in parenting mags.  I knew right away he could die. That was 14 years ago though. Her son was older. She probably never saw that when Cam was little. Still, I did not fully understand the ramifications of having a child with a food allergy. That's not something that floats in over the media transom, yk?

[BensMom]

http://gma.yahoo.com/allergic-teen-dies-eating-cookie-050855791--abc-news-wellness.html

Tragic in so many ways. Mom said she didn't know son could die from peanuts. He had an epi, but didn't have it with him and mom couldn't find it when he got home because he hadn't unpacked from college. She had expired ones, but was told not to use them--I would have tried them anyway!! Son was normally very careful--much more careful than my son who ate a cookie from a friend the other day. But my son has his epi with him at all times and has never reacted, unlike this kid. Just so sad. The cookie supposedly only had peanut oil in it, which really shouldn't be a problem    He seemed so careful.  If only he'd had his epi.

[Jessica]

Here's an ongoing discussion about this:
http://foodallergysupport.olicentral.com/index.php/topic,6932.0.html

also this but no replies:
Peanut Allergy Death - college Freshman home on spring break; ate cookie

[lakeswimr]

Their doctor was criminally negligent.  The first responders should have known better.  So sad and tragic.  My heart breaks for the boy and his friend and family.

[LinksEtc]

So sorry to hear about this family's loss.

We can't really know what exactly the dr told the family ... negligent
is an accusation probably best left for a judge/jury if it came to that.

[lakeswimr]

 We can't know but if this mother truly didn't know FAs were potentially fatal as she said then that's my opinion of the situation. 

[lakeswimr]

Many people are normally careful and every once in a very great while take a chance on something they think should probably be OK or just loosen their comfort zone.  Very tragic and sad.