From the Sacramento Bee: Like most children with a food allergy, Natalie Giorgi was raised with a keen understanding of how careful she had to be.
At 13, she knew that her peanut allergy could be deadly, and her parents were exceedingly cautious about what she ate.
"She never put any dessert or anything that was questionable into her mouth without consulting someone," said Augusta Brothers, a family friend.
But Friday night, years of caution couldn't save her.
The redheaded teen died early Saturday, the result of an apparent allergic reaction after she bit into a Rice Krispies treat at Camp Sacramento on the final night of the family camp.Natalie was attending the camp along Highway 50 in the Eldorado National Forest with her parents, two sisters and brother, all of Carmichael.
On Friday night, during a group gathering, she went into the lodge for a treat. The lights had been dimmed and three varieties of Rice Krispies treats prepared by the camp cook were brought out for the group, said Brothers, who was there with her own family.
"After every campfire, they provide snacks, cookies and ice cream," Brothers said, and Friday night Natalie tasted a treat topped with icing.
She spit it out right away, Brothers said, and went to find her mother to tell her she had tasted something with peanuts.
Her parents, Sacramento urologist Dr. Louis Giorgi and his wife, Joanne, responded immediately. Natalie's mother tasted the treat and also detected peanuts. The girl was given a dose of Benadryl to offset an allergic reaction, Brothers said.
They monitored Natalie, who at first seemed fine, still smiling and enjoying herself, Brothers said. Twenty minutes later, she vomited and began to have trouble breathing.They monitored Natalie, who at first seemed fine, still smiling and enjoying herself, Brothers said. Twenty minutes later, she vomited and began to have trouble breathing.
Natalie's father administered an injection with an EpiPen, a device used to deliver epinephrine that is commonly carried by individuals with serious allergies.
Frequently, an EpiPen can ward off a severe allergic reaction, but the injection had no impact. Brothers said Natalie's father ended up using three EpiPens over the course of several minutes before she stopped breathing.
Paramedics arrived at the camp at 10:40 p.m. and performed CPR to no avail. She was taken by ambulance to Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe, where she was pronounced dead at 12:30 a.m. Saturday. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/30/5607195/years-of-caution-about-peanut.htmlI have a daughter who is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts and she has to be very careful with everything she eats, especially living in Las Vegas where going out to eat is almost 2nd nature.I really feel for the family because the guilt they must be feeling.
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