When Desmaray Glass, a third-grader from Brockton, MA, had a severe allergic reaction at Downey Elementary School, her friend Sierrah Frederic, 9, jumped into action. Desmaray, who is severely allergic to oranges, had accidentally eaten an orange fruit snack. She started to feel dizzy, and her face began to swell. Sierrah, who was sitting next to her, quickly noticed something was wrong.
Sierrah’s fast thinking proved crucial. She grabbed the fruit snack packaging from Desmaray and showed it to a cafeteria worker, explaining, “I took it [the fruit snack package] instead of her because I didn’t want her to fall.” The cafeteria worker and Assistant Principal Jennifer Colburn rushed Desmaray to the nurse’s office, where she was administered an epinephrine auto-injector and then taken to the hospital. Assistant Principal Colburn called Sierrah “very observant” and praised her quick thinking.
In recognition of her heroism, Sierrah was rewarded with a large stuffed animal from the school store. The girls have been friends for three years and enjoy playing games together. Sierrah, who doesn’t have food allergies herself, chose to sit with Desmaray at the allergy table this year to keep her company.
The Brockton Public Schools district has about 300 students with food allergies, and it maintains a comprehensive protocol to manage them. The district’s Director of Nurses, Linda Cahill, explains that families report allergies through emergency forms, which are then shared with school nurses.
From there, the nurses inform cafeteria workers and teachers about which students have allergies. Every school building is equipped with epinephrine auto-injectors, and staff are trained on how to use them.
The district also ensures that no student is given food that hasn’t first been checked by a nurse, creating a safer environment for students with allergies like Desmaray.
We’re happy Desmaray is well and that she has such a wonderful friend in Sierrah, who sprang into action when she was needed most, a true hero.
We also appreciate the staff and administration at Brockton Public Schools, who have the proper training and protocols in place to protect their pupils with food allergies.
Does your child’s school have procedures in place to deal with an anaphylactic emergency? Are you confident in their abilities? Have you filed an Emergency Action Plan and reviewed it with staff? Let us know in the comments section.
I have a question. The article says “The district also ensures that no student is given food that hasn’t first been checked by a nurse, creating a safer environment for students with allergies like Desmaray.” First, that is clearly not the case here, as this child was given fruit snacks that caused an anaphylactic reaction. Second, what exactly does that mean that the food is “first checked by a nurse”? As a school nurse, I’d be curious to hear more about this and how that takes place.