A young girl tragically passed away minutes after drinking hot chocolate from Costa Coffee, highlighting the dangers of food allergies.
A tragic incident has occurred involving a young girl who passed away just minutes after taking a sip of hot chocolate from Costa Coffee.
This heartbreaking event has raised awareness about food allergies.
The young girl was allergic to dairy
The victim, Hannah Jacobs, had been diagnosed with severe allergies to fish, eggs, and dairy as a toddler.
Her family had become accustomed to carefully managing her condition in their daily lives.
On February 8, 2022, Hannah was with her mother, Abimbola Duyile, on the way to a dentist’s appointment in London. ‘
They decided to stop for hot chocolate at a Costa Coffee branch in Barking.
Ms. Duyile carefully ensured that the drink was made with soy milk instead of dairy. She also checked that the staff properly sanitized the equipment.
“When I arrived at the coffee shop I said to the person serving that we both would like hot chocolate,” she recalled.
“I said that Hannah was severely allergic to cows’ milk and said they should clean the jug – to which they agreed,” Duyile emphasized.
Young girl passes away just minutes after drinking a sip of Costa Coffee hot chocolate
After purchasing the drinks, the pair then made their way to the nearby dentist’s office. Subsequently, the girl took a sip of the hot chocolate while in the waiting room.
According to Ms. Duyile, her daughter suddenly got up and went to the toilet and shouted ‘That was not soya milk.’
The mother first felt angry at the Costa Coffee staff. That anger quickly changed to fear as she saw her daughter’s reaction.
“My initial response was anger towards the Costa Coffee staff – it turned into terror,” she said.
Hannah’s reaction was swift and severe. She began coughing up phlegm and complained of chest pains.
Recognizing the signs of an anaphylactic reaction, Ms. Duyile rushed her daughter to a nearby pharmacy to administer an EpiPen.
At the pharmacy, a pharmacist administered the EpiPen injection in Hannah’s leg after she had collapsed.
A customer promptly called an ambulance, and emergency responders took over the resuscitation efforts.
Tragically, despite these attempts, Hannah was pronounced dead at the hospital by 1 PM.
Testimony from Dr. Rahul Chodhari on Hannah’s allergies
Dr. Rahul Chodhari, who managed Hannah’s allergies, gave testimony at the inquest into her death.
When questioned by Assistant Coroner Dr. Shirley Radcliffe about the potential impact of two doses of 300mcg adrenaline, Dr. Chodhari said it was difficult to predict the outcome.
However, he noted that the 150mcg dose given was certainly too small to be effective.
The Jacobs family chose to completely avoid potential allergens at home.
Hannah ate only food that her mother or aunt had thoroughly checked and cooked.
In a heartbreaking tribute, Ms. Duyile expressed her love for her daughter and the belief that Hannah would have achieved great things.
“I know that she would have achieved anything she set her mind to. I loved my child so much and my heart is broken,” she said.