Dillon Mueller died on October 4, 2014 at the age of 18, a week after he had been stung by a bee and suffered anaphylactic shock. He had never been diagnosed with an allergy and so was never prescribed an epinephrine auto-injector which could have potentially saved his life.
His parents, Angel and George Mueller, have since worked tirelessly to advance stock epinephrine legislation in their home state of Wisconsin and nationwide.
Epinephrine is the only drug that can halt the progression of anaphylaxis, a serious, life-threatening reaction to a food, drug, insect venom, or environmental substance.
Said Ms Mueller, “We did not know Dillon was allergic and right then and there we decided to do everything in our power to make sure no other family had to endure such a tragedy.”
In 2017, “Dillon’s Law” was signed by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker at a ceremony in the same high school gym where Dillon’s wake was held three years earlier.
The legislation allows trained individuals to acquire and maintain stock epinephrine auto-injectors — auto-injectors prescribed for emergency use, not to a specific person — and administer such epinephrine to a person the individual believes is experiencing anaphylaxis.
The Muellers also worked with doctors to develop the “Do it for Dillon Anaphylaxis Training Course” to teach individuals how to identify the symptoms of anaphylaxis and administer five brands of auto-injectors. Once the course is completed, the individual is certified to carry epinephrine in Wisconsin.
Now, the Muellers are working to advance what they call “Dillon’s Law 2.0”, which will allow pharmacists to dispense auto-injectors directly to people after they have completed the course.
Said Mr Mueller, “I’m very proud and I am very proud that our class has saved seven individuals that we know if to this day.”
The Muellers’ next project is to introduce the legislation in Washington to benefit the allergic community nationwide.
Here is a report from WFRV-TV news interviewing the Muellers and detailing their efforts:
Sign and Share the Petition to Make Much Needed Changes to Allergy Labeling
