Daniel’s story is warning of danger of nuts

Daniel’s story is warning of danger of nuts

19 September 2012 - by BY JOANNE FLEMING

A SAINTFIELD schoolboy with a severe nut allergy is helping raise awareness of this life threatening condition.

Daniel McGouran (4) has just started school, and to coincide with Allergy Awareness Week he, along with mum Pauline, have sought the support of parents, teachers, and pupils at St. Mary’s Primary School to help him avoid any dangerous contact.

Daniel, as the first pupil with a serious nut allergy at St. Mary’s, presented a number of story books to the school on the topic, while a representative from Allergy NI also came to address his class.

Pauline explained how Daniel’s alarming allergic reaction came to light last year after he ate a chocolate cookie which contained nuts.

“Up to that point it probably would never have entered our heads,” she explained.

“We hadn’t given him peanuts to eat before then but that was more about a fear of choking. With hindsight something was not right. Afterwards it was almost as if he came down with a heavy cold, he started coughing, he had a runny nose and he said ‘mummy I have sore tummy’.

“He then became drowsy and fell asleep after 10 minutes and that would not be like him. I gave him medicine and he went to bed saying he was thirsty, which we later learnt is another part of the reaction.”

Going to check on her son later, Pauline was alarmed to find a red rash on his body. “It was almost spreading in front of my eyes,” she said. Remembering a similar allergic reaction experienced by a friend’s child, Pauline said everything “clicked into place”.

A trip to an out of hours GP and later to A&E followed as Daniel experienced a second round of distressing symptoms. “He was projectile vomiting and the colour of his lips changed,” Pauline explained, acknowledging that he could have died without prompt medical intervention.

Although treated for his anaphylactic shock, Pauline said she is pleased new guidelines now state anyone presenting with such an allergic reaction needs to be kept overnight in hospital and leave with the official pack of epipens These are now kept at home and at school, and members of staff at St. Mary’s have been shown how to use them. Parents have also been advised on what food products their children can bring into school.

“It’s no nuts, no nut cereals, for example, no sharing of food,” said Pauline “We had to make sure there was no traces of nuts in the wheaten bread in the canteen, for instance.

Pauline said incidents of nut allergies were increasing and said one of the many theories was the recent altering of chemicals in the production of peanuts.

“We probably do not eat out with Daniel an awful lot, if we do, we ring ahead and speak to the chef,” she said.

“That is important, as opposed to the manager. The chef will know for instance if the vegetable oil has been replaced with peanut oil because it is cheaper. But if we have any doubts at all we won’t go. It’s just part of everyday life for us.”

Maureen Paul, of Allergy NI, who spoke at the school said Allergy Awareness Week (September 10 to 17) was the perfect opportunity to raise better awareness of life threatening allergies.

“It is estimated that 40 per cent of children in Northern Ireland have an allergy,” she said.

“According to the World Health Organisation it is the number one environmental epidemic facing the developed world.”