[Trigger warning]
21-year-old Avarie Anne Tierney, a student from Los Angeles, was studying abroad in Italy when she had lunch with friends at a vegan restaurant in Rome on April 2. She attempted to communicate her tree nut allergy to the waitstaff, but the warnings were apparently lost in translation due to the language barrier.
After finishing her meal, she felt unwell and realized the cause was an allergic reaction. She rushed to her nearby apartment to access her Bentelan — a steroid used for inflammation — but collapsed in the parking lot of the building due to anaphylactic shock.
EMTs administered the two doses of the Bentelan on the street to no avail, and after 30 minutes of CPR, she died.
A police investigation is underway.
Our hearts go out to the Tierney family, who are experiencing every allergy family’s worst horror. We offer them our sincere condolences on the loss of Avarie, who was simply living her life despite her food allergies.
When we report such incidents, we look at ways others in the food allergy community can avoid similar tragedies.
First and foremost, everyone diagnosed with a food allergy should carry two emergency epinephrine devices everywhere, every time, and administer the first dose when they first suspect anaphylaxis. Epinephrine is the only drug that can halt and reverse the progression of anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction to a food, medicine, insect venom, or environmental substance. It should always be administered first, with other medications prescribed for such incidents to follow.
When traveling abroad and not fluid in the local language, use an allergy translation card that lists your allergens and expresses the danger of exposure in the local language. You can find several providers of such cards, including Equal Eats.
Last but not least, if you aren’t completely convinced that your allergy can be accommodated safely by the establishment, leave. No meal is worth gambling your life on.
