Mum's warning after daughter, 20, with severe peanut allergy died from eating a ‘couple of mouthfuls' of ready meal

The Sun

26-05-2025

A HEARTBROKEN mum has issued an urgent warning after her daughter, 20, died after eating a few mouthfuls of a ready meal.
Jess North, who had a severe peanut allergy, tragically died from an anaphylactic reaction on May 9, 2021.
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Devastated Mum Maxine, from Aldingbourne, West Sussex, told how she was preparing a Sunday roast when Jess decided she wanted something different.
The youngster opted for a frozen sweet potato dish and said she had "had it before".
Jess assumed she would be fine eating the ready meal, as she had done previously, despite the fact it did contain nuts.
Maxine told The Argus her daughter had only consumed "a couple of mouthfuls" before ditching her plate.
She was going out to meet a pal and kissed her parents goodbye before jumping in her car.
"Within 10 minutes I received a phone call from Jess saying that she was having difficulty breathing," said Maxine.
"The fear in her voice triggered something inside me and I knew that she was having an allergic reaction.
"She was near Arundel on the A27, so I told her to pull over and administer her EpiPen, something she had never done before, but she knew how to use it. "
The emotional parent told how she rushed with her husband to find their daughter.
Meanwhile a passerby had seen Jess struggling at the roadside and thought she was having an asthma attack.
My son texted me a picture of a snack he was enjoying… then his phone went silent – he'll never be the same again
They gave her an inhaler before realising the 20-year-old was signalling for her EpiPen.
"She was disoriented so the person took charge of the EpiPen and administered it into Jess' arm when in fact it should have gone into her thigh," continued Maxine.
Paramedics eventually transported Jess to St Richards hospital in Chichester.
After three days on life support, an MRI scan was performed and doctors told her family they wouldn't be able to assess damage until she woke up.
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.
Most allergic reactions are mild but they can also be moderate or severe.
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
They tried to bring Jess off life support the following day, but the youngster showed no signs of becoming responsive.
A further MRI scan tragically determined there was no brain activity.
"I can't remember much from that point, all I knew was my beautiful baby had gone and our life had changed forever," said Maxine.
The brave mum has since been on a mission to raise awareness over severe allergies - and in particular the lack of up to date epipens.
After Jess' death, the family discovered she had a junior Epipen, instead of an adult one.
Maxine's campaign has already seen her own GP start sending reminder alerts to patients with severe allergies.
She has also been raising money for The Natasha Allergy Foundation, known as NARFS, 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.
Maxine will be completing a charity abseil down Peacehaven Cliffs in July.
Donations will be put towards funding for Kitt Medical Devices with life-saving anaphylaxis treatment in schools and public places.
A link to Maxine's GoFundMe can be found here.
This comes after a traumatised mum told how her allergic son texted a picture of the snack he was enjoying before his phone went silent forever.
George Cadman-Ithell sent a haunting message to his mum, Louise Cadman, with a picture of the cured sausages and wrote "these are nice".
But just three minutes later, the 25-year-old sent a panicked text which read: "F***, they contain walnuts".
Louise replied: "You've not eaten any have you?" to which her son said: "Yes".
George hadn't spotted the "aux noix" labelling on the salami packaging, which also stated "with walnuts" in English.
The young man had run home from the shops in just under 10 minutes, and husband Joe Nolan had administered an EpiPen.
But tragically George went into cardiac arrest and his brain was starved of oxygen for 26 minutes, causing severe brain damage.
He remains in a vegetative state at a rehabilitation unit at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow, North West London.
Elsewhere, a 12-year-old schoolgirl died suddenly after drinking a milkshake and her heartbroken family paid tribute.
Mia Shay St Hilaire suffered a severe allergic reaction after visiting Pop Inn Café, in Bermondsey, London, with her aunt and sister in August 2023.
The young girl, who had a tree nut allergy, was rushed to hospital after ingesting the contaminated drink but tragically died.
Mia's devastated parents, Adrian and Chanel said: "We think of Mia every day and knowing her death could potentially have been prevented so simply, only adds to how heartbroken we are as a family.'
Southwark Council's food and safety team discovered the blender used to make the 12-year-old's milkshake had not been cleaned properly.
An investigation found traces of almonds and hazelnuts in the machine from a previous drink.
CCTV evidence showed the café operator, Baris Yucel, failing to clean the blender before preparing Mia's beverage.
He was given a 100-hour community order and fined £18,000.
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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