Kiss steals the life of a girl with an allergy

Article : Kiss steals the life of a girl with an allergy
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how come she tell her boyfriend about her allergic to peanuts

The information in this article has been "overtaken by events." Later reports (and the coroner) confirmed that the teenager actually died from asthma (triggered by smoking at a party and what was delicately referred to as "physical exertion" at three in the morning with her boyfriend).

This story is incorrect. The girl died from an asthma attack. Look it up.

As someone with an allergy of similar severity to popcorn - even the aroma can cause anaphylaxis - I can tell you that no matter how much you tell people that this is real, they do not believe you. They think you must be making it up. Those of us who deal with this day in and day out are very lonely people.

I'm allergic to all forms of corn - only popcorn has caused anaphylaxis thus far, but the problem is that any allergy can suddenly become life-threatening. And a food that you have eaten before can become life-threatening. Reactions are not standard, sometimes you can get away with just a cold sore and a stuffed up nose - other times you end up in the hospital - all from the same substance.

Why is allergy on the rise? At one time I did a survey of the medical literature and I noticed a couple of factors:

1. The increased use of the same food ingredients repeatedly in our diets. You will find soy, corn, wheat, milk or derivatives of those foods in almost every processed food out there, even the supposed fruit juices. By the way, if the substance is below a certain threshold, there is no FDA requirement to label it, so sometimes, there is no way to know that a formerly safe food is no longer safe.

2. Wall-to-wall carpeting. Since the replacement of wood and tile floors by carpeting, asthma rates have increased. When you have a food allergic individual with asthma in the throes of reaction the survival rate goes down.

3. Genetic Modification - and bad agricultural science. Sorry, I'm not a scare monger. GM foods may have a place after proper testing, but they ARE NOT being tested properly currently. It just gets worse and worse due to the big agri-businesses.

The thing that most people don't know about food allergies that makes this story so frustrating is that it is one of the most socially isolating diseases known. The young girl probably just wanted to be with other people, but I can tell you from personal experience, that there are friendships that end when they find out that no, you can't even go into that restaurant because your blood pressure will go down. No, you can't go to the movies. (Mind you, this is when you find out who your real friends are. The people who are like "Gimme the list so I can make you dinner.")

The thing is, it is one of the most difficult things to deal with because it is a hidden handicap - and it is a handicap. Breathing is a necessary life function. Eating is a necessary life function. Like all hidden handicaps, people who have never seen what can happen don't take it seriously. Even medical personnel - doctors - don't take it seriously (except for allergists and radiologists - they have seen the worst cases).

The level of sensitivity here is very high. When I tell people I'm allergic to popcorn, almost invariably, their first question is "I wonder what's in it to cause that." My answer is always "Popcorn." It is inconceivable to many people that a food can cause such danger.

Food allergy is not new, it is on the rise. Most people used to just die when they had a reaction because they didn't know how to treat it. Even Hippocrates wrote about it in his journals, that some men are poisoned by the meat of others.

Pax.

I feel sorry for the girl.

What a sad case.My sympathies to all concerned. I suggest the wearing of a peanut broach or bracelet to identify people like the one worn by diabetics etc Should help save lives or avoid associated problems. God bless. DAYA

gosh, don't blame the poor girl or her boyfriend!! she didn't want someone else -- who she cared about -- to theink of her as "different", so she didn't tell him! That's all there is to it! don't blame her or her family. i agree with the comment by lisa that this is getting out of hand. peanuts are soom gonna be outlawed or something!

I do not mean to diminish any aspect of this human tragedy, but there is something about this whole story that sounds fishy to me. I would not be surprised to find some additional facts come to light over the next few days. I do not have any idea what facts might appear, but something just does not sound right.

Of COURSE she told her boyfriend she had an allergy. He obviously DIDNT take it seriously enough. He kissed her didnt he? He obviously wanted to see what would happen, and killed her. He SHOULD feel like crap, he killed her! The author is right.

The article mentions the unexplained rise in cases of extreme allergic reactions such as these, but doesn't explore it further. The real culprit here is hidden somewhere beneath the surface. Western medicine's approach is always to medicate the symptoms and not to looks for the cause. Twenty years ago as I graduated from high school, I had rarely heard of food allergies and the cases I had heard about were all mild. Suddenly in the last few years, several of my grown relatives have developed shellfish allergies and I developed a dairy allergy. Cancer is occuring in increasing numbers of patients. Why is this happening?

Tragic cases such as these should be a call-to-arms to every kind and caring researcher to explore the environmental changes that may be causing these disturbing trends. Phthalates (common in everything from hairspray to laminate flooring to perfumes to lubricants) have recently been mentioned as having carcinogenic properties. Artificial flavors, colors, and sweeteners, preservatives, and chemical additives are omnipresent in food today - this is another big change from 50 years ago. The airwaves are filled with activity from cellular phone traffic, satellite transmissions, wireless internet use, etc. - also new. We microwave food daily - new again. I cannot possibly believe that these huge environmental changes have had no impact on our health. I am, in fact, convinced that some or all of these changes are causing the "unexplained" phenomena we are experience, such as the tragic death of the poor child in the above article.

Rather than getting angry with the author for assigning blame for this incident, we should take this incident as a sign that we need to fight back against the changes anyway we can. In my family, we have stopped using our microwave oven and buy only organic food and all-natural packaged foods. We're replacing our laminate flooring with tile. We don't use perfume, cologne, or hairspray and our deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, and soap are all-natural. We shower and drink only filtered water.

These are small changes, but ones that we hope will help us and our children live long, healthy, allergy- and cancer-free lives. You will hear more and more about people like me and my family in coming years and I hope on reading this you are inspired to do more research of your own.

As the mother of a 20 month old with severe peanut allergy, this article frightens me. While the majority of the world will see this as a freak accident that won't happen to them, I view it as yet another potential land mine in my daughter's life. worry worry worry. It never ends. My heart goes out to the family of both children. How devastating.

If the author had checked to see whether or not the family had been aware of the seriousness of her allergic reaction to peanuts would have been great in the article. There is no mention of this so it leaves us to wonder just how much they really did know. It is a terrible tragedy but it is possible that no one really knew, which makes it even more of a tragedy. The article was otherwise informative on the issue of food allergies.

so how long will it be before the peanut police try to outlaw the peanut. The whole, it's not fair, if they can't have them and we can't or if they are a danger to anyone or anything, then no one can have them. I know that this is where this is heading, it is so predictable it makes me sick! So sorry about the girl and i really hope that her boyfriend is not stimatized forever as a ignorant fool, just because he did not pass "Peanut 101" with flying colors. People die, it's tragic but it is a fact of life and to say something like he was "instramental" almost makes it sound premeditated. Fire the writer!!!

I have read in some alternative health magazines the the constant use of soy has had the effect of making some people more allergic to nuts in general. Soy is fine in the fermented state, but has been recently used in possibly harmful ways, ie, soy milk, soy flour, etc.Anyway, I sympathize, having undergone years of allergic problems with various chemicals.

The author is meerly stating the facts. It is not unusual for kids this age to feel invincible.

My son is severely allergic to peanuts.

Looking at it from her view, she thought she was different than the other kids. At school she had to eat alone or with other kids with allergies. do you think she told every new friend she met? Do you think she wanted to tell her boyfriend she was so different? Do you think she fully understood the words "you can die".

It is a very, very sad and scary event. I hope the young man is getting all the support he needs. I had my 11 year old read the article. It may help him.

I don't see where everyone gets the idea that the author is blaming the boyfriend. As I read the article it seems clear that they were simply stating the facts. As for the last line it could easily be the truth. I used to have a degree of responsibility with a young child who had a peanut allergy, and his father made it quite clear what the dangers of peanut ingestion were. An anti-allergy shot had to be available at all times.

Thanks to the sloppy reporting and out of place moralizing I can say that this site is useless for real news.

Dismissed!

L. Visitor wrote:

The writers nasty blaming attitude ????? I didn't read it that way.

how can you not read it that way. The author says the boyfriend was "instrumental" in the girl's death. She later blames the girl and family for their "failure to take seriously" the allergy. The tone of the article was something I did not expect from a typical news story.

Emma Price, Try writing about the death of an innocent child and the heart wrenching involvement of another innocent child with heart, compassion and understanding. Shame on you.

I have unfortunately been a victim of hives and swollen lips after kissing previous boyfriends that ate peanuts or nuts. Each reaction got worse, until I became very paranoid about kissing...I don't kiss anyone unless I know where there lips have been! When I'm at a party with my husband, I only air kiss friends!!
It is very unfortunate about this young girl, but I have been there before, and I feel sad for her, and her family...she was only living life and they should be proud that she administered her Epi-pen immediately, even though her reaction was too severe. Her death unfortunately opens eyes to other teens who are in the same predicament.

"peanut-based snack"

Could mean any number of things.

If there was adrenaline at the ready, she was well aware of her condition. This is tragic, but, in my opinion, her own carelessness. Even more tragic is the fact that her boyfriend will spend the rest of his life blaming himself. If we knew why accidents happened, they would no longer be accidents. They just do, we move on, and so it goes. Sad none the less.

Whoever wrote this article is a douche. It's no one's fault. This was just an extremely rare and horrible tragedy, there's no one to blame. You should write a letter of apology and grief to the family and boyfriend. Not state that it's their fault she's dead, it could've been preventable.

There is no "nasty blaming attitude" here. This is serious and people need to understand that. People in contact with anaphylaxis level reactors need to be very aware of the potentials for catastrophic results. Especially someone as close as a boyfriend or girlfriend. It seems to me that the "nasty blaming" is coming from some of the readers of this article. Also, for those who haven't heard of it, there is a wonderful technique for treating allergies far more effectively than mainstream medicine, which is quite impotent in this domain. The technique is called NAET, also techniques such as TFT and EFT can be very effective in mitigating these reactions, though these are treated as fraudulent by the very defensive mainstream. Check them out.

I just feel sorry for her boyfriend...... having to live with knowing that you caused someone death? That MUST suck.

My main issue with the article is that it reads, "...the girl was known to be allergic to peanuts among family and relatives." In my experience with allergies, there is not an onset based on who's company we keep. Well, some holidays prove different. But, we get the idea. I'm being picky, move on, right?

An Author's job is to report and raise questions when facts are not well documented. It is not clear if this author knew what conversations transpired between these children. Maybe the author does have a source who told her of conversations, but it is unmentioned if that is the case.

A way to make a point without facts is to ask the readers a question. Such as: "Was this allergy discussed with the boyfriend?", "How did the girl make her grave allergy known socially?" Rather than assume it was her failure, or a lack of seriousness. It comes across as being judgmental regardless of the intent. It seemed as if the author wanted to paint a picture, but instead it came out as blame.

I did appreciate the authors choice to describe the studies of peanut allergies, the emergency treatments, and severity differences. Thank you!

I don't know why the boyfriend never knew of the allergy, but this is something that I have had to watch carefully with my wife ever since I first met her.

Her peanut allergy is severe enough that if I had residue from a peanut on my mouth it could trigger a reaction and I have had to make the effort to avoid eating peanuts just as she has. When you are in a close relationship with somone with this kind of allergy, you must also conform to their needs and that means giving up things like peanuts if need be.

I hope this serves to illustrate the severity of peanut allegies and that those in a relationship with or close contact to a person with the one takes a step back and makes sure that they are not endangering them in this way.

Author of the article, Emma Price is an insensitive BITCH. Shame on youfor passing judgement during a tragedy like this.

Earthtimes.org, get rid of her!!!!!

I just don't see the author or anyone else in the article, blaming the girl, boyfriend, or family....

The fact is, there was a failure to communicate the status of the girl, and the boyfriend was instrumental.

Those are facts, not judgements.

I have an allergy to apples, is it fair to have everyone around me banned from apples?

There is nothing we can do when it comes to external controls, but to be very aware and cautious.

Lack of education and prevention is to blame.

Emma price is no author,let alone any kind of writer or she would have written a story,not a opinion,if i want opinions i listen to rush limbaugh,sharpen your pencil emma and learn how to write.

In a different article, I read that the boyfriend ate a peanut butter sandwich 9 hours earlier! Not 2 seconds earlier, like the author would like you to believe. The author of this article comes off as insensitive. This young boy is going to have to live with the rest of his life with the guilt of knowing that he is the reason why his girlfriend died. And for what? All for eating a peanut butter sandwich 9 hours earlier....
I would also like to add that my brother-in-law is allergic to walnuts. I'll bet the thought of asking his girlfriend if she ate walnuts that day, before he kissed her, NEVER crossed his mind. Author: Don't judge!!

I think the writer's comments were a bit severe. While Christina undoubtedly knew that she was allergic to peanuts, even highly allergic, it's still quite possible that she didn't fully realize the drastic extent of it, and almost certain that her boyfriend didn't. Only a very tiny percentage of people would be allergic to that degree. It's a terrible tragedy and let's leave it at that.

Tough news Doug. It was certainly a breakdown in comunication that killed this child, unless you would believe her boyfriend culpable of manslaughter at least? It is highly unlikely that this allergy had not previously manifested itself to the family or physician of the victim.

Poor girl. What is with the author of the article? He acts like he is in the position to blame when he knows nothing of the situation besides what he has been told.

... that peanut alergies could be this extreme. I remember a girl at work once getting angry when I was eating some nuts across the room (twenty feet away or so), and I was pretty annoyed at her. This article has definitely opened my eyes to the possible severity of her allergy (though, who knows? the girl at my work may just have been a bitch).

Still, I have to agree with Doug. That last line -- "it appears that Christina Desforges' death is a case of ... a failure to take it seriously by letting people close to her know and help her steer clear of peanuts" -- was callous and blaming. It surprised me, though I expect that the author didn't intend to sound so judgmental and savage.

What a terrible tragedy. This article should be compulsory reading for all sufferers, it may help to create a high awareness of how innocent happenings can be so tragic

Previous comment:
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The writers nasty blaming attitude
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????? I didn't read it that way.

The article blames this unfortunate girl, her boyfriend, and her family, by saying her dealth was caused by "a failure to...let...people close to her know and help her steer clear of peanuts." These kinds of unfortuante events are often unpreditable, and there is no reason to assume the girl, her family or the boyfriend could have possibly known the severity of her allergic reaction. Of course, persons with penaut allergies should avoid peanuts, but this youngster (and her boyfriend) was innocently living her life. The writers nasty blaming attitude can only cause more, and unnecessary, pain for the family and the boyfriend.