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Girl with severe nut allergy died after kissing boyfriend who had eaten peanut butter sandwich

Her mother is determined to warn others

 

Rachael Revesz
New York
Thursday 09 June 2016 20:40 BST
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Ms Ducré-Lemay did not take her EpiPen to the party
Ms Ducré-Lemay did not take her EpiPen to the party (Facebook / Myriam Ducré-Lemay)

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The mother of a 20-year-old woman who died from an allergic reaction peanuts after kissing her boyfriend has spoken about the dangers of food allergies.

Myriam Ducré-Lemay was at a party in Montreal with her new boyfriend in October 2012 when the incident occurred.

“Everything was going well in her life. She told me she was in love. It was the first time I saw my daughter with such bright eyes,” her mother, Micheline Ducré, told the Journal de Quebec.

The relationship was new and Ms Ducré-Lemay did not have time to tell her boyfriend of her allergies, her mother said.

At the end of the party, the couple went back to the boyfriend’s house. While she was getting ready for bed, he ate a peanut butter sandwich and then brushed his teeth.

Within minutes of kissing his girlfriend, Ms Ducré-Lemay was suffering from shortness of breath.

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.

The ambulance arrived within eight minutes after her boyfriend made the call. Despite their efforts, she died from a severe cerebral anoxia, where the brain is deprived of oxygen.

“She always lived a normal life,” her mother said. “She normally had her EpiPen. Everyone knew her situation.”

She warned others to always carry a Medic Alert bracelet, which can indicate to others that the wearer has allergies, as well as an EpiPen. Both devices could have saved her daughter’s life.

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