A graduate student with a nut allergy sent frantic texts to his mother after he discovered he’d eaten a snack that contained nuts. They would be his final messages to her before he ended up in a coma.
George Cadman-Ithell, 25, texted his mother, Louise Cadman, 56, to say he picked up a snack bag of salami. In the message, he told his mom that the treats were “nice,” according to a report in the Daily Mail.
However, the writing at the top of the bag was in French — and George didn’t notice the English print at the bottom of the bag mentioning that the snack contained walnuts.
“F— they contain walnuts!,” he texted his mother, who promptly replied, “You’ve not eaten any have you?”
GoFundMe
“Yes,” George answered. Louise said she sent another text urging him to get medical attention, but he did not respond.
George had hurried home where his husband, Joe Nolan, 25, administered an EpiPen. But eight minutes had passed since he’d eaten the nuts. George went into cardiac arrest.
Although Joe administered CPR, George’s brain was deprived of oxygen for 26 minutes, the Daily Mail reports. He received further treatment from paramedics.
George is now in a London hospital, according to a GoFundMe his older sister, Alex Cadman, set up to help pay for his treatment.
“At present, George remains in an unconscious but stable state. We do not know the level of damage the hypoxic injury has made on the brain, but the impact will be life-changing for George and our family,” the GoFundMe says.
GoFundMe
Although there have been some positive developments — George is breathing on his own — the road ahead is uncertain, as the GoFundMe says, “the same progress has not been seen neurologically.”
Alex shared that George is experiencing “neurostorms,” which the National Institute of Health explains is hyperactivity in the brain after a traumatic injury, and can include “periodic episodes of increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, hyperthermia, and motor posturing,”
According to a recent update by Alex, George “is still minimally conscious and unresponsive, we listened to music, I showed him photos, gave him a facial and a shave, and recounted stories and memories we shared. While this was not at all like the conversations we used to have, as George was so inquisitive and wanted to know more about the things you are passionate about, I’m so thankful for this time. 7 weeks ago, I didn’t think I’d get to have this time with George.”
Alex ended her update with a plea to care for those with nut allergies: “Look out for yourselves and loved ones. Check and re-check ingredients for allergies. Don’t ever feel like you’re a burden for having allergies/intolerances. The world needs to accommodate YOU, not the other way around.”
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