Anyone who suffers from a food allergy – or has a loved one with a food allergy – knows all too well what these harmful triggers can mean for sufferers, especially when the individual's allergy is particularly severe.
That was the case for 19-year-old Chandler Swink. On Nov. 26, the sophomore nursing major at Oakland University suffered a fatal allergy attack which caused severe anaphylaxis and triggered an asthma attack and cardiac arrest, according to reports.
Swink had visited a friend's apartment where someone had made peanut butter cookies earlier in the day. Swink came into contact with either the cookies themselves or someone who had peanut residue on their hands. According to his parents, Chandler had a level-six nut allergy – the most severe category – since he was two years old. When he began to have a reaction, he injected himself with an EpiPen and drove himself to the the hospital. He reportedly was found unconscious in the parking lot and was unable to be revived.
This tragic loss is causing many in the allergy community to speak out in advocacy for safe prevention practices. The Swink Family have also spoken out about their son's death and advising people to take caution in the coming month as holiday dishes are passed from home to home.
"You need to take your family members' food allergies very seriously. [During holiday season] you don't need to add almonds or pecans to the food you bring," Bill Swink told Yahoo Parenting.
In order to best protect yourself and your loved ones from harm, be sure to invest in the best allergy prevention products. To learn more about how Allergy Be Gone can help, contact us today!
