On December 27th, Jess Prinsloo and her partner Craig McKinnon had a romantic getaway in South Africa.
The pair were on a trip to God’s Window viewpoint in Mpumalanga when Craig proposed to her, to which she happily accepted. Despite the joyous occasion, tragedy soon struck as Jess passed away four days later due to an acute dairy allergy, according to Daily Mail UK.
It is believed that Jess had stirred her tea with a spoon that had been used for milk, leading to an anaphylactic reaction in which her throat closed up.
Despite having two EpiPens with her at all times to counteract her allergy, Prinsloo was unable to use them to stop her death.
McKinnon recounts the unfortunate events, stating, “When Jess died, a part of me died too – but there is no one to blame for her passing away.”
He described the moments he learned of the serious situation. He was awoken by Prinsloo’s brother, Darren, informing him of her severe reaction, and she was then rushed to the hospital.
However, even the doctors’ efforts were to no avail, and she passed away the following day.
Jess had dealt with this life-threatening allergy since she was just nine months old. When she was 18 years old, she ate some curry with dairy and, as a result, needed to be resuscitated.
According to the National Library of Medicine, food allergies are present in up to 10% of young children and 2–3% of adults, and appear to be increasingly common. Food allergies are the most frequent cause of anaphylaxis, which can be fatal.
A review conducted by a team of researchers concluded that fatal food anaphylaxis for food-allergic individuals is less common than accidental deaths among the general population.
Although it is rare, it is a heartbreaking reminder of the importance of taking precautions for those with severe allergies.