The family of a young Canadian woman who died after a fatal kiss from her boyfriend are speaking out about the deadly consequences of severe allergies.
Myriam Ducré-Lemay, who was 20-years-old when she died, was severely allergic to peanuts, but hadn’t shared that with her new boyfriend, CTV News reports.
Myriam went to her boyfriend’s house after a party in 2012, and after he had a peanut butter sandwich, they kissed. He did not tell her he’d eaten peanuts and she had not told him she was allergic to them, Myriam’s mother, Micheline Ducré, told the Journal de Quebec.
Within minutes of kissing, Myriam was suffering from shortness of breath. The ambulance arrived within eight minutes after her boyfriend made the call but, despite their efforts, she died from severe cerebral anoxia – when the brain is deprived from oxygen.
According to the coroner’s report in 2014, her asthma inhaler did not work and she asked her boyfriend if he had eaten peanuts. She didn’t have her EpiPen, which is used for emergency treatment of anaphylaxis, and her state rapidly deteriorated.
Myriam’s mother said: “Unfortunately she wouldn’t have had the time to tell him she had a peanut allergy.”
Speaking about her daughter’s relationship with her boyfriend she said:
She told me she was in love. It’s the first time I saw my daughter with such bright eyes. She always lived a normal life. She normally had her EpiPen. Everyone knew her situation.
Now, Mrs Ducré wants her daughter’s story to be shared to raise awareness for people with severe nut allergies, and to highlight the importance of carrying EpiPens.
She warned others to always carry a Medic Alert bracelet as well as an EpiPen. Both devices could have saved her daughter’s life.
You can find out more about anaphylaxis in the UK here.
