In 2012, Micheline Ducre's daughter died of anaphylaxis after kissing her boyfriend who had eaten peanuts earlier in the night. Myriam Ducre-Lemay's boyfriend was unaware of the allergy, and wasn't able to save his girlfriend once she had difficulty breathing.
Ducre is now speaking out to spread the word about risks like this, and the importance of teens in particular always carrying an EpiPen. In a CTV News article, Dr. Christine McCusker, head of paediatric allergy and immunology at Montreal Children's Hospital noted that those between 15 and 30 years of age are in a higher risk age range with severe allergies because they take more risks and are less likely to carry EpiPens. Most deaths from anaphylaxis happen when there's a delay (or complete lack of) in administering an EpiPen, and teens are often the unfortunate victims.
Because anaphylaxis can become life-threatening so quickly, immediate use of an EpiPen is required, so it's important that those affected by severe allergies talk about them, and inform the people they're with of the allergies and what to do in case of emergency.
Allergic Living has a ton of helpful information about kissing with severe allergies, and I encourage anyone dealing with this to read up, help their teens navigate these sometimes-awkward waters, and help protect those with life-threatening allergies.
Here are some links to Allergic Living articles you'll find helpful:
Kissing With Severe Food Allergies
Kissing and Allergic Teens
Dating with Food Allergies, A Tricky Business
RELATED: 5 Bizarre Allergy Triggers 
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