Mother of dairy allergy schoolgirl has ‘misplaced her world’
The mother of a schoolgirl with a severe allergy who died after being served dairy in a Costa coffee hot chocolate says she has ‘lost her world’.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Abimbola Duyile described the pain of her 13-year-old daughters Hannah Jacob’s death in February last year.
Hannah collapsed within half an hour of taking the first sip of a drink from a Costa Coffee franchise in Barking, East London and was confirmed dead hours later.
Last month an inquest concluded Hannah died due to an allergic reaction due to failure by staff at the coffee shop chain to follow allergy safety procedures.
Abimbola told the hearing she ordered two soya hot chocolates and had also asked the staff to clean the equipment they were using – but this was disputed by the staff member who made the drink.
Hannah Jacob’s mum Abimbola Duyile spoke to Good Morning Britain about her daughter’s death
She appeared alongside consumer rights lawyer Michelle Victor
Hannah Jacobs, 13, had a severe allergy to dairy which she had managed well throughout her life
The inquest heard the hot chocolate was made with cows’ milk and after the teenager took one sip of the drink, she shouted: ‘That was not soya milk.’
Speaking on Thursday morning, Abimbola said: ‘For a mother to go through this for any parent to go through this is very hard, it’s terrible, it’s not a good feeling because it’s like you’ve lost your world.
‘I’ve got two kids, my kids are my world, and no parent should go through this or suffer this way.
‘To see your child suffer her last breaths on earth screaming, answering that she didn’t want to die- that is painful.’
She added: ‘ I just want anyone that is struggling, or their child is struggling with allergies or anything to make sure this never happens again because it is not a good thing.’
Hannah had severe allergies which she and her family were adept at dealing with since infancy.
But Abimbola says, despite her request for soya milk to be used and instructions to the barista that her daughter was ‘very allergic to dairy’, Hannah was served cow’s milk at the Costa Coffee store.
Assistant coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe last month found there had been a ‘failure of communication’ between coffee shop staff and Abimbola.
Neither Hannah or Abimbola were carrying an EpiPen on February 8.
The mother and daughter visited Costa Coffee before going to the dentist, where Hannah had an appointment before school.
Hannah began to experience symptoms of an allergic reaction at the dentist’s and was rushed to a nearby pharmacy.
She was given a junior dose of an EpiPen in the pharmacy, who could not find anymore EpiPen’s on site.
Speaking on Thursday morning, Abimbola said she had ‘lost’ her ‘world’. Pictured Hannah Jacobs
Pictured: Hannah’s mother, Abimbola, holds a picture of her daughter outside East London Coroner’s Court
Abimbola Duyile with her daughter Hannah Jacobs aged 10
A view of the Costa Coffee branch on Station Parade in Barking, east London, where Abimbola bought her 13-year-old daughter Hannah a hot chocolate
Speaking to Good Morning Britain, Abimbola said: ‘From the time we could eat something, that was it, it was like drummed into her.
‘I made sure every day she knew about it, any where she was going, I let people know about it, so for years it was just avoid avoid avoid’.
In the emotional interview, Abimbola said: ‘One thing I keep saying to myself is that I am so happy I let her live her life. I am so happy I let her be herself, she loved to do thing outdoors, She liked rock climbing, she liked to listen to music, she liked to dance, sometimes she can even cook a very good meal as well.
‘I remember when we first moved into our new house, she made me a very nice meal on my way back from work, I work in a care home, I do 12 hour shifts, I’m tired. my child bought me flowers, she made me dinner. I was so grateful, for someone that’s 11 years old to do that for you, that’s special and She’s going to be missed every single day.’
Abimbola added: ‘Don’t be like me, carry the Epi-Pens with you.’
In a statement after the inquest, a Costa Coffee spokesman said Hannah’s death was a ‘tragedy and our heartfelt thoughts remain with her family and friends’.
He added: ‘We have strict allergy training and procedures in place to help to minimise the risk to those customers who suffer from allergens, however, we agree with the coroner’s conclusion that our allergen process was not followed that day at our franchise partner store.’
A Department of Health spokesperson said: ‘We have been in ongoing discussions with the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation about improving support for people with allergies and ministers will carefully consider their views and any recommendations made by the coroner following the tragic death of Hannah Jacobs.’
