Severe Peanut Allergy Kills Teen, Renders Another Comatose
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Just a week after parents of elementary students protested safety measures put in place by a school to protect a 1st grader with a severe peanut allergy, news of two unfortunate teen girls reached me – their lives are forever changed by their severe peanut allergies.
First comes 13-year-old Katelyn Carlson, a young student in Chicago whose life ended tragically due to trace amount of peanuts found in Chinese food she consumed at a school event before winter break. The school and the parents contacted the restaurant to ensure that no peanut products would be in the girl’s meal, and while the Chinese Inn at Niles ensured them that no peanuts were in the meal, her death, and subsequent lab tests, have proven otherwise.
This girl’s life is over because of her severe peanut allergy.
On Monday, news agencies covered another unfortunate teenage girl with peanut allergies. 14-year-old Adrianna Aguirre is now comatose after eating cereal containing peanuts. While their were many warnings on the label of this particular food item, the girl ate the cereal without thinking, stopped breathing, and was rushed to the hospital. She is now in a coma, and will need a feeding tube placed next week to keep her body nourished while her body fights to stay alive and rid itself of the allergen that has wreaked havoc on her immune system.
Back to the Florida incident…
A young girl in Florida has a severe peanut allergy, resulting in anaphylaxis simply by inhaling or touching peanut residue. Her doctor, as a result, put down a list of safety precautions the school needed to follow in order to keep this young girl alive and attending her public school – her right, and her parents’ right, as tax paying citizens and residents in their county.
However, the plans put in place, in addition to outlandish rumors such as children being wiped with clorox wipes (they aren’t), put other parents of students attending that school into an uproar resulting in a protest outside of the school last Thursday morning.
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As I heard it from an insider, the parents of this unfortunate little girl decided to remove her from school once another parent threatened online to put peanut oil on his/her child’s backpack and sending him to school. This individual might as well have said that she was going to enter the school and shoot this little girl in the head. That is what this amounts to.
But I read better news today, as it is reported by Fox that the school will continue to back up their decision to provide a safe educational environment for this student despite other parents insisting she be removed from the school.
I received a lot of nasty comments in my last article : Peanut Allergy Rules at Florida Public School Create Controversy, Protests . Many claimed that this is nothing more than another entitlement for people who want to force others to live their lives differently in order to accommodate them. They also claim that because those with peanut allergies are fewer than those without, individuals with a severe peanut allergy that is as life threatening as this little girl’s should just live in a bubble or stay home when accommodations are available to give them a better life.
While I have stated that, if my children had a severe peanut allergy that could kill them if they so much as inhaled or touched the residue, I would personally choose to home school them to keep them safe and ease my own anxiety, I don’t expect all parents to make the same decision. I also don’t expect every family to have the opportunity to make such a decision.
The bad economy comes to mind. Many families need two incomes, and without it, they won’t survive (especially if they are buying more expensive foods to substitute for common ingredients that usually contain peanuts – there are many!). To take a child out of school to home school, one parent must stop working or cut back their hours. This can be financially fatal to a family, forcing them to possibly go on welfare or accept WIC. Which “entitlement” is worse, I ask you? Either way, this family will be considered a “burden” to others, according to the nay sayers.
Speaking of WIC, a commenter on my last article stated that peanut butter is a cheap protein source, and therefore good for families who are struggling financially. Additionally, this commenter stated that WIC gives families in need free peanut butter, which these families rely on heavily. Well, I ask you, which “entitlement” is more appropriate? WIC is an entitlement. It is welfare. It is taxpayer money being used to help someone in need who needs compassion and support. Why is this little girl with a severe peanut allergy different from the family who requires WIC to keep from going hungry?
Where is the compassion?
Related articles
- Parents protest student with severe peanut allergy (msnbc.msn.com)
- Parents want child with peanut allergy removed from school (sfgate.com)
- Peanut Allergies on the Rise – What Every Parent Should Know (everydayhealth.com)
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This issue is far more complex than your article makes it out to be. To an idealist, bending over backwards for a little girls health may seem obvious. But then again, idealists usually think in terms of black and white, rarely thinking of more than a few consequences to actions.
We all have to acknowledge an amount of danger in our lives, even when doing mundane, daily tasks. We also do things to help lower the danger of those around us, such as signalling a turn when driving. But while idealists may not like to accept it, there’s a point when the cost of the preventative measures outweigh the benefit. I think this is one of those cases.
Many of the parents have suggested it costs each child 30 minutes of their school day to accommodate this girl. Let’s assume there’s some exaggeration and shave it down to 20.
20 minutes each day = 1 hour, 40 minutes/week
In one classroom of 30 children, it makes 50 hours of lost school time in just one week.
Considering the pathetic state of education in the country, that amount of time lost is completely unacceptable.
The kids can not have their education hindered for this girl, but neither should this child be expected to go into a school where her life may be at risk. So the question should really be about how to get this girl an education without having her be in public school. For that, there are many possibilities, and they should be explored.
Chyrch – thank you for your comment. I agree that many public schools are in a pathetic state, but that’s not the case for all schools.
I think the parents are currently exploring alternatives, but I’m not sure as I haven’t received any informative updates from anyone close to the family in some time. I know they said they were pulling her out of the school, but to educate her with some suitable alternative wasn’t addressed…at least to me.
I think all options should definitely be explored to find the best solution for this child’s unique situation. But that’s up to the parents to choose what are suitable options for her and for them.
I seriously doubt that 20-30 minutes per child is spent during each day to accommodate this girl’s special needs. It doesn’t take that long to wash your hands and rinse out your mouth. That, IMO, is a gross exaggeration.
Also, the school, parents, and doctor seem to think that these steps they are taking are enough to keep her safe at school. While I don’t agree entirely, as accidents do happen (especially when so many people are involved), their decision is the final one. And the school backs up their decision to accommodate her…which they actually had no choice in, to be honest, as they are required under ADA (American’s with Disabilities Act).
I am not saying that just because something is put into law that it makes it just, fair and right. There are many laws that I disagree with wholeheartedly. I’m merely stating the fact that the school has no choice and that protesting the school does no good what-so-ever. It changes nothing. So unless the parents decide to go elsewhere to educate their daughter, the situation will remain the same. Period.
If you want more details, however, I have another article looking at the complexities of the situation. http://alwayssick.com/2011/03/10/peanut-allergy-rules-at-florida-public-school-creates-controversy-protests/
Oh, I feel your pain. It’s so scary isn’t it? But think about it this way:Are you going let this ruin your life? Are you going to give into it like this?Being alert is smart, hoeevwr, don’t let it become who you are. Let it be just a part of who you are.I found out about mine about a year ago. I’m almost 21. I know it’s scary, and I know that it is a big deal. But please, don’t let this rule over you. You need to find an allergy support group. They will understand, and make it easier for you. Good Luck to you.
Some evidence suggests that allergies are caused by clean-freak parents who oversanitize, preventing their kids’ immune systems from building up normally. So your kids’ allergies are probably your own fault anyway.
And no, this is not “required under ADA”. That’s a load of crap.
Thank you for your wisdom, Bobby. That was helpful. Care to share any more of your knowledge regarding the cause of allergies and how parents are to blame for their kids’ illnesses?
And it is required. These children have special needs, and those needs must be met in a public school setting. They cannot refuse an education to any child for any reason. Period.