A mum has recounted the harrowing moment her son alerted her via text that he’d mistakenly consumed nuts, just before losing consciousness. George Cadman-Ithell, 25, a recent university grad, realised too late that the snack he was munching on contained walnuts.
His mother, Louise Cadman, 56, texted him frantically to seek urgent assistance as his health deteriorated. Unfortunately, George didn’t have his lifesaving adrenaline pen and had to rush home.
After graduating with top honours from University College London only a fortnight prior, George is now hospitalised with serious brain damage stemming from oxygen deprivation caused by the allergic reaction. Louise shared their tragic tale on Sunday, highlighting that mild food allergies can turn fatal without warning.
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George purchased a packet of French ‘saucissons secs’ salami in Sidcup, south-east London, on September 20. He initially texted his mum about the tastiness of the snack but followed up with a panicked message: “F*** they contain walnuts! ” Unbeknownst to him, the label stated “aux noix” (“with nuts”) in French and “with walnuts” in English further down.
After contacting his mum and his husband Joe Nolan, 25, George rushed home where Joe administered his EpiPen. Meanwhile, Louise bombarded him with anxious texts, telling him to find help immediately, reports the Mirror.
George suffered a catastrophic allergic reaction that tragically left him severely brain-damaged. Despite paramedics administering CPR, he was starved of oxygen to the brain for a gruelling 26 minutes.
Now confined to a Northwick Park Hospital rehab unit, George is able to open his eyes and breathe unaided, but heartbreakingly can’t communicate. “It’s just destroyed us,” mum Louise said.
“I can’t bear the thought of this happening to another family.”
(Image: GoFundMe)
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Louise revealed that George was first diagnosed with a nut allergy at age five after an innocent taste of chocolate. He’d had scares before but never severe enough to use his EpiPen; antihistamines usually did the trick—until now.
The keen graduate had aced his degree in urban planning and had dreams set on a master’s.
Determined to raise awareness, Louise opened up to the Sunday Times: “If you’ve got an allergy, it can go from being relatively mild to fatal from one attack to the next,” she cautioned, pointing out the heightened risks during the festive season. A GoFundMe page set up for George has seen an outpouring of generosity, amassing over £13,000 by the weekend.
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