Alex Hall, 37, was aware he was allergic to Brazil nuts but did not suspect he had developed an allergy to fish. He and his wife, who was pregnant with their first child, had chosen a fish restaurant in Victoria, Australia for their date night out.
He had just commented to his wife that he hadn’t eaten barramundi in years and was enjoying his Asian sea bass when he began struggling for breath and collapsed.
His wife, Cassandra, told the Herald Sun: ‘I was just calling out to him, telling him that he was going to be OK. I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t believe it.”
Off-duty nurses administered CPR at the restaurant and he was taken to the hospital where he died five days later.
A coroner ruled that Mr Hall had died from anaphylaxis and cerebral hypoxia, i.e. oxygen starvation of the brain.
The Hall’s child, a girl they planned to name Isabelle, is due this May.
Said Ms Hall: “We were just starting our lives together. It doesn’t seem right. He was really excited to have kids. He was just going to be the best dad.
I am not quite sure how I am going to do it without him but I will make it happen. I am just going to live every day just trying to make him proud.”
After his passing, Mr Hall’s organs were donated and his wife said that his heart had saved the life of a child.
Our hearts go out to Ms Hall who should be joyously preparing for the birth of her daughter together with her husband. We wish her and her family much solace and strength in the days to come.
Reporting of this tragedy does not state whether Mr Hall was prescribed an epinephrine auto-injector for his tree nut allergy or if he was, whether he had it with him and whether it was administered when he suffered the reaction that would take his life.
We urge our readers that have been prescribed emergency epinephrine to ALWAYS take two auto-injectors along everywhere, every time, even if you don’t expect to eat or are vigilant about allergen avoidance.
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