Peanut allergies are something that parents worry a lot about. Yet there is still a kind of flippancy around them by those who aren't affected. Surely, you've heard parents insist that not every child whose parents say they have a peanut allergy actually has one.
Here's what we know: Nearly 2.5% of all children have a peanut allergy that sometimes lasts into adulthood. Peanut allergies are the most common allergies in children, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI).
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Some people may choose to downplay this very serious allergy, but the family of one woman knows all too well what an accidental ingestion can lead to. Chantel Giacalone was a 27-year-old model with everything ahead of her when she accidentally ingested peanut butter and went into anaphylactic shock, changing her life forever.
Chantel Giacalone's story is an alarming look at what can happen when someone who is allergic to peanuts accidentally ingests peanut butter. Chantel was a 27-year-old aspiring actress and model in February 2013 when she went to the MAGIC fashion trade show. At the show, a friend got Chantel a frozen yogurt.
One of the toppings on the frozen yogurt was pretzel bites. Neither Chantel nor her friend knew they were peanut butter-filled pretzel bites. MedicWest Ambulance was already on scene at the convention and responded to Chantel's emergency as she went into anaphylactic shock.
Tara Retes was the friend with Chantel when it happened. The two hadn't known each other long, and Tara hadn't heard about the severity of Chantel's peanut allergy.
"I kind of tasted it again, and I said, 'I think there’s peanut butter.' And she jumped back, and she said, 'I'm allergic,'" she testified in the trial.
Tara called Chantel's father, who instructed her to get her Benadryl and use her EpiPen. "I could hear it in her voice she was panicking," her father told the jury. "I never heard from her after that."
In minutes, Chantel's throat was closing. Her fingers, which had rings on them, were turning black and blue. "Don't let me die. I don't want to die," Chantel told Tara.
According to Chantel's attorney, Christian Morris, the medics who treated her didn't have IV epinephrine, an adrenaline treatment for severe allergic reactions, that they were legally required to have on-site. They issued her intramuscular epinephrine instead, but the IV form of the medication is required when a patient goes into anaphylaxis. The required drug cost less than $3.
By the time Clark County Fire Department arrived, Chantel required intubation. Chantel's brain lost a significant amount of oxygen in the interim, resulting in a severe brain injury. Today, Chantel is a quadriplegic who requires around-the-clock care. She can only communicate with others via an eye gaze computer.
Chantel's parents have been her daily caregivers for the past eight years. They require a special lifting device to get her out of bed. They keep track of her schedule and all her treatment in binders with timestamps. Chantel's communication might be limited, but doctors have attested that she's aware of what's happened to her and what she's had to overcome.
A jury determined that the medical company on the scene was negligent in their treatment of Chantel. The family was awarded $29.5 million, which will help her parents with continuing costs as her care eventually transfers to one of their other children, as they are getting older and struggling to keep up. Chantel is expected to live into her mid-50s in her condition as it stands.
