Well, this is absolutely terrifying. A nine-year-old girl on board a United Airlines flight, heading to New Jersey from Dublin, suffered an allergic reaction mid-flight, causing the plane to be diverted back to Dublin. The girl had apparently never shown signs of allergy previously, so can you just imagine the sheer panic when her face started to balloon up and they realized she was having an anaphylactic reaction? Staff on the flight announced the emergency and requested medical assistance, and it seems that someone on board must have had an EpiPen on hand, because other passengers stated the girl was in much less distress after an injection of some kind.
We carry an EpiPen and Allerject everywhere we go. Every morsel of food that goes into Mason's mouth is a concern for us, because what if? What if there's something in that food that he'll react to? What if there's been some kind of cross-contamination in a restaurant? What if someone's good intentions aren't good enough to protect him?
But at least we know. We have the appropriate measures on us at all times.
I absolutely cannot fathom the fear of this little girl and her family, witnessing her reaction when she'd never shown signs in the past. How lucky that someone on that flight was able to assist, and how amazing that the flight staff got her to medical safety quickly.
Allergies can happen at any time. This is why having epinephrine auto-injectors in public places is a discussion we need to have. This is why we should all know the signs of allergic reactions, just like we know the signs of choking.
Read more about how allergies can appear at any stage of life. And be sure you know the signs of a severe allergic reaction, so you can act quickly to save a life!
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