My son texted me a picture of a snack he was enjoying… then his phone went silent – he’ll never be the same again
A distraught mother described how her son, who has an allergy, sent a photo of the snack he was eating before his phone abruptly stopped working.
George Cadman-Ithell wrote “these are nice” alongside a picture of the cured sausages in a melancholic note to his mother, Louise Cadman.
“F***, they contain walnuts” was the text message that the 25-year-old sent in a panic three minutes later.
“You’ve not eaten any have you?” Louise asked. Her son responded, “Yes.”
The salami package also said “with walnuts” in English, but George had missed the “aux noix” label.
The frightened parent begged her son to call the emergency services, but after a frantic two-minute discussion, she never heard from him again.
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Louise hurried to George’s apartment after she stopped getting responses, where she discovered paramedics performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him.
Joe Nolan, the young man’s husband, gave him an EpiPen after he ran home from the stores in less than ten minutes.
Unfortunately, George suffered a cardiac arrest, which resulted in significant brain damage when his brain was oxygen-starved for 26 minutes.
At Northwick Park Hospital’s rehabilitation facility in Harrow, northwest London, he is still in a vegetative condition.
Despite being able to open his eyes and breathe on his own, the university graduate has been given three years to live, and doctors have told his family that he is unlikely to recover.
He is undoubtedly able to hear. Mother Louise told The Times that George instantly opens his eyes if he’s asleep, for instance, and Joe enters and says hello.
After reacting to a Guylian seashell chocolate at his grandparents’ house when he was five years old, George was diagnosed with a tree nut allergy.
Additionally, tests showed that the child had a crustacean allergy, including to prawns.
The 25-year-old, however, never had to use his EpiPen in the 15 nut allergies he experienced in his lifetime.
He had always taken antihistamine pills to control his episodes.
The Cadman family is now being supported by the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation (Narf) which was set up in memory of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse.
Natasha, 15, who was allergic to sesame, tragically died in 2016 after eating a Pret a Manger baguette containing the ingredient.
In an attempt to raise awareness, Louise, who lives in Upminster, east London, has now talked to George about what happened.
It’s just ruined us, she remarked. The idea of this happening to another family is too much for me to handle.
The devastated mother also told how “Joe is broken” as “George was in the happiest place of his life”.
Dad Tony Ithell and siblings Alexandra, 32, Joe, 22, and Lily, 19 are also missing George.
He did his best to avoid nuts and if he was out in restaurants, he would always declare it, Louise explained.
But, equally, I think he thought, Oh well if they give me something by mistake I m just gonna be a bit sick , and it was never more than that.
Louise told how her son previously suffered reactions on holiday during which “he d vomit for an hour or so, his lips would swell and his throat would itch” – however he had never had to administer his EpiPen.
The signs of an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis + what to do
SYMPTOMS of an allergy usually occur within minutes of contact with with the offending food or trigger, but they can also come on up to one hour later.
Although moderate to severe allergic reactions are possible, the majority are minor.
Anaphylaxis is the most severe form of allergic reaction which can be life threatening.
In some cases, anaphylaxis symptoms lead to collapse and unconsciousness and, on rare occasions, can be fatal so it’s important to know how to recognise them and act quickly.
Mild to moderate symptoms include:
- Itchy mouth, tongue and throat
- Swelling of lips, around the eyes or face
- Red raised itchy rash (often called nettle rash, hives or urticaria)
- Vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhoea
- Runny nose and sneezing
Severe symptoms of anaphylaxis include:
- Swelling of your throat and tongue
- Difficulty breathing or breathing very fast
- Difficulty swallowing, tightness in your throat or a hoarse voice
- Wheezing, coughing or noisy breathing
- Feeling tired or confused
- Feeling faint, dizzy or fainting
- Skin that feels cold to the touch
- Blue, grey or pale skin, lips or tongue if you have brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet
Anaphylaxis and its symptoms should be treated as a medical emergency.
Follow these steps if you think you or someone you’re with is having an anaphylactic reaction:
- Use an adrenaline auto-injector (such as an EpiPen) if you have one instructions are included on the side of the injector.
- Call 999 for an ambulance and say that you think you’re having an anaphylactic reaction.
- Lie down you can raise your legs, and if you’re struggling to breathe, raise your shoulders or sit up slowly (if you’re pregnant, lie on your left side).
- If you have been stung by an insect, try to remove the sting if it’s still in the skin.
- If your symptoms have not improved after 5 minutes, use a second adrenaline auto-injector.
Do not stand or walk at any time, even if you feel better.
Sources: Allergy UK, NHS
But when George ate the salami containing walnuts he went intosevere anaphylactic shock.
Louise explained: “They had no food in the house because they were packing up, so George ran to the shops.
He was busy. His mind was elsewhere. We always used to call him the absent-minded professor because he s brilliantly clever, but common sense?
“Not always. I can imagine him just picking up the snack and saying, Oh, I ve had these before and not looking at the label.
The heartbroken mum also believes the eight-minute run home George undertook may have made his condition worse.
NHS guidance warns people in anaphylaxis should avoid heightened activity, instead they should lie down and raise their legs tp help improve blood flow to vital organs.
Louise issued an urgent warning to even mild allergy sufferers to pay close attention to food labels.
If you ve got an allergy, it can go from being relatively mild to fatal from one attack to the next, she said.
This is a time of year when people are trying new foods and eating out and going to people s houses, and they perhaps become complacent like George did.
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Two weeks before the tragedy George had graduated with a first-class degree in urban planning, design and management from University College London.
He and Joe had been planning on moving in with his grandmother Susan Cadman, so the pair could save money while George studied for a master’s degree.
Natasha’s Law
By Ben Griffiths
THE family of an allergy sufferer who died after eating a poorly-labelled Pret sandwich on a BA jet have told how they have forgiven the high street giant.
Grieving Nad and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, whose daughter Natasha died in 2016, have even praised the sandwich chain for leading the way in implementing new packaging rules.
Natasha s Law – named after the 15-year-old – requires businesses to list every ingredient on pre-packaged food.
In an exclusive interview, the family spoke of their “great pride” at getting the historic new regulations in place.
They mean an item like the artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette, which Natasha died after eating, will now have to list all 34 ingredients – instead of the THREE it displayed five years ago.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, Tanya, who with Nad has won an OBE for her work in getting the law passed, said: “I know that Natasha would be ever so pleased this law is coming into force and we’ve managed to get it passed.
“You can’t do anything if you are filled with hate so we have forgiven Pret. It doesn’t make up for the fact she is not here now but Pret have actually led the way on changing their packaging.
“They’ve spent millions getting their packaging in line and educating staff on allergies.
“The new law means tens of millions of sandwiches across the UK will now have to detail everything it contains from the small trace of ingredients.”
Natasha was on her way to Nice, in France, for a summer holiday with Nad and her best friend Bethany Holloway in July 2016 when she bought the baguette from Pret a Manger at Heathrow Airport.
It contained hidden sesame seeds, something she was allergic to but the ingredient was not labelled on the packet. Shortly after take-off, Natasha had a reaction.
Nad rushed her to the toilet and gave her two shots of adrenaline from her EpiPens which he expected would fight off the reaction.
Her last words were I can t breathe, I m suffocating, help me Daddy , before she suffered a fatal heart attack.
An inquest in 2018 into Natasha s death blasted Pret for its inadequate labelling and fault in Natasha s death, making the company vow to make a meaningful change .
Nad and Tanya launch their mission to get a law changed after the inquest. It now means any fresh item prepared on the premises of sale will now have to list every ingredient it contains.
To visit the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation go to www.narf.org.uk.
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