Doctor Dies From Allergic Reaction After Raglan Road Meal at Disney Springs

[Betty Rohrer]

Devastatingly sad.

Having seen this upfront with my nephew who has a peanut allergy, and other friends who have severe allergies, it’s not easy.

And I’ll never forgive the vile poster here who said she’d bring extra peanuts and peanut butter sandwiches on a plane if they ever did away with serving them for allergy reasons.

Please remember other allergies when cleaning your area on plane. Get unscented wipes because of others could be allergic to the scent

 

[brent02139]

After the second one I would've walked out.

I would have if I wasn’t so mad that I needed to march into the kitchen to give them a talking

 

[brent02139]

I didnt have any knowledge of epipens until this thread. Wow, wide spread of costs. But if they are good for 18 months, that’s not so bad.

unfortunately it’s 18 month when it leaves the factory, when it is in the hands of patient can vary, I’ve recieved ones with less than 12 months but its the only ones they had. I accepted it because we needed it for his school and its got enough of shelf life for the school year.

 

[Disturbia]

(Also posted on universal thread).

It was bound to happen. We have had severe pushbacks (by waiters) post pandemic from popular restaurants to not talk to or get the chef even with severe allergies. The two recent places were CRT and Space220 where the waitress would go back to the kitchen and come back but we could tell she had not spoken with the chef at all (wouldn’t bring the order we had placed with the chef but just kept removing things from an item on the menu). This was despite having filled and submitted allergy forms a week+ in advance. I penned a letter to the chef (Space220) who apologized and said he had our order ready and was waiting but thought we didn’t check in. This happened twice!!!! (second time waitress refused to get the chef even after we showed the email and asked for him by name). The waitress at CRT was condescending and constantly talked down restating the menu despite us telling her we already ordered with the chef. She kept saying ‘this is what we have..’; I calmly said ‘we understand but we’ve already spoken to the chef..’. During the second course the Chef (was a substitute so overwhelmed) came and apologized but the mood was completely ruined and we didn’t order the extras we planned.

Our kid’s allergies are in the 80s to things like dairy and nuts and even 10-20 would send you into anaphylaxis. For years we’ve felt safe at WDW but they’ve just gotten complacent (had 2 reactions over 10 years pre pandemic - BOG (accidentally touching butter) and Satu li (waiter stating chocolate cake had no nuts when it had hazelnuts). We had a reaction aboard DCL last year (thankfully mild and it was hazelnuts so stomach cramps and we administered Benadryl quickly) and a special order cake (GF bakery new team gave a wrong cake flavor that had nuts - violent visible stomach cramps and vomiting - per new allergist we should have used the AuviQ).

I believe the problem is understaffing, overworking existing staff and lack of training. The other problem is that people who have mild sensitivities or just food preferences are overwhelming waiters so they become relaxed and I’ve often gotten a smirk when asking for something vegan. I’ve had to explain it’s a life threatening allergy (not a choice). Many people order gluten free but don’t fill out special diets forms beforehand so the cruises routinely run out of allergy friendly food. Disney should be able to plan better and accommodate everyone but with all their cost saving outlook vs customer service it’s no wonder this has happened.

 

[Disturbia]

It’s not just at WDW. We’ve also had a reaction aboard a 10 hour flight (attendant gave chocolate covered hazelnut) and it was crazy (blame game vs offering medication/helping). I had to stop them from yelling at each other (one point they asked me why I didn’t let the second shift staff know about the allergies one hour into the flight!!!) and say I won’t sue them just give me the Benadryl!!!

There have been several deaths aboard flights due to anaphylaxis from sandwiches purchased at the airport (pret a manger- ingredients have sesame seeds but not listed as allergen/ingredient).

Discrimination and refusal of acoomodations are also commonplace. Flight attendants can refuse and deplane you and they can’t help during descent.

There is more awareness but obviously more room for improvement and education.

 

[mkatsy]

The autopsy report shows antibodies to SEVEN nuts in her blood stream. There is no dish on that menu with that many nuts. She came in contact with mixed nuts, most likely nut dust, and a lot of it.

 

[CamillaF]

An allergy even if 'mild' can turn deadly at anytime, reactions are unpredictable so anyone with a real allergy should avoid the allergen. That said most people who do this type of thing actually have no allergy but just don't like the food. For instance, I once had a patient who swore he was allergic to wheat and chicken but then insisted he could eat white bread just not wheat bread. So ok, we won't send wheat bread but wheat is not a problem he just doesn't like whole wheat bread. My boss worked one weekend and went up to check and make sure his meal was ok and we got everything right. Imagine her surprise to see him sitting in bed eating a bucket of KFC his friend brought in.

I am a dietitian so I work in healthcare with food service. Best of both worlds.

Couldn’t agree more. You work in healthcare, I work in restaurants. I can’t even tell you how often people who say they are allergic to something and then eat it. We take our time to go look at the ingredients and make sure they can/can’t have it. Then when we go back to tell them they can’t, they say well a little bit is ok. I always want to tell them that doing that is bad for the people that can’t even be close to it. While I agree that for some people a little may be ok, making us go out of our way then saying oh well I’m still going to eat it is quite frustrating. However I still won’t ever not look into it, but I feel there are more people out there that say they are allergic to something just because they don’t like it than are actually allergic to it.

I have a memory response to Corn. I ate some corn chips that had melted plastic. (eating them with humas so did not taste them) My body now considers corn poison. If I have a small bit of corn I am fine, If I have a modest amount of corn I have a slight head ache for days, If I have a lot of corn I get a migraine and go blind until I throw up and sleep. I am one of those obnoxious people who say's allergic but ( not really) will ask about the menu and still eat a small amount of corn if I want (the doctor told me to add it back in to my diet one little piece at a time). Just saying, believe people when they don't want to eat an ingredient. You have not walked a mile in their shoes and might be judging something that you don't understand.

 

[Skywatcher1206]

The autopsy report shows antibodies to SEVEN nuts in her blood stream. There is no dish on that menu with that many nuts. She came in contact with mixed nuts, most likely nut dust, and a lot of it.

That is my confusion with the story. I agree that it is a tragedy, but I am also not convinced that it was due to eating at Raglan Road. I have also looked and there are no nuts that I can see on the whole main menu, and only on 1 chocolate dessert. I am not sure what nuts they use on the chocolate dessert, but most likely not 7 types. Where would the dust from 7 different types of nuts have come from?

 

[Becky Mouse]

There really isn't any real defense to this honorable tragedy. I think they just need to settle it and not even try to defend it.

The question there is, who is responsible? Disney owns Disney Springs but does not own or operate the restaurant.

 

[Disturbia]

I have a memory response to Corn. I ate some corn chips that had melted plastic. (eating them with humas so did not taste them) My body now considers corn poison. If I have a small bit of corn I am fine, If I have a modest amount of corn I have a slight head ache for days, If I have a lot of corn I get a migraine and go blind until I throw up and sleep. I am one of those obnoxious people who say's allergic but ( not really) will ask about the menu and still eat a small amount of corn if I want (the doctor told me to add it back in to my diet one little piece at a time). Just saying, believe people when they don't want to eat an ingredient. You have not walked a mile in their shoes and might be judging something that you don't understand.

If you are reacting to something, you are allergic so it’s not optional for you. I wasn’t referring to people like you. Even people with just gastrointestinal symptoms are actually allergic but mildly and can tolerate. I’ve actually had testing done on my arm and I reacted to 80% of foods (except things you couldn’t make a meal out of like apricots), so I continue to eat mild allergens. I have a cousin who turned anaphylactic to an apple in adulthood and she reacted to a washed knife!

There is promising research and hopefully there is some medication to reduce reactions. Gelatin helps delay reactions but people with depression (in the family-genetics) can’t take it (no warning labels, had to research side effects after experiencing them).

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2815455

 

[Disturbia]

That is my confusion with the story. I agree that it is a tragedy, but I am also not convinced that it was due to eating at Raglan Road. I have also looked and there are no nuts that I can see on the whole main menu, and only on 1 chocolate dessert. I am not sure what nuts they use on the chocolate dessert, but most likely not 7 types. Where would the dust from 7 different types of nuts have come from?

You can have someone eating nuts and cooking the dish and then tasting it with a spoon (putting it back in).

It could also be that someone was eating mixed nuts at Disney Springs and there could have been a surface transfer. That’s unlikely as most internal reactions occur around 30 mins+, although our DD has reacted to peanuts immediately (starts with a burning tongue followed by intense cramps and vomiting; macadamia nuts is just cramps and delayed ).

 

[Becky Mouse]

The autopsy report shows antibodies to SEVEN nuts in her blood stream. There is no dish on that menu with that many nuts. She came in contact with mixed nuts, most likely nut dust, and a lot of it.

That is so strange! How does a person allergic to nuts come into contact with 7 different types? I'm wondering if she might have ate something else on property when she was walking around the Springs? But it's really confusing that anything could have 7 different types of nuts in it, and someone would mistake it for being nut-free. Could she have set something down where nuts had been? Could someone have been eating mixed nuts and then made some food or drink for her? Scary stuff.

 

[Disturbia]

I think Benadryl needs to be administered quickly. Any delays in medication make things risky. I remember reading about a child who reacted to someone throwing cheese at his face and the school delayed administering the Epipen until it was too late (he was begging for it while he could still talk).

 

[mkatsy]

That is my confusion with the story. I agree that it is a tragedy, but I am also not convinced that it was due to eating at Raglan Road. I have also looked and there are no nuts that I can see on the whole main menu, and only on 1 chocolate dessert. I am not sure what nuts they use on the chocolate dessert, but most likely not 7 types. Where would the dust from 7 different types of nuts have come from?

She most likely came in contact with the allergens very close to Planet Hollywood. I don’t believe such irreversible anaphylaxis had a 45 minute delay before it kicked in … the first few bites would have triggered symptoms, even if it was just itching and tingling.

 

[TwoMisfits]

That is my confusion with the story. I agree that it is a tragedy, but I am also not convinced that it was due to eating at Raglan Road. I have also looked and there are no nuts that I can see on the whole main menu, and only on 1 chocolate dessert. I am not sure what nuts they use on the chocolate dessert, but most likely not 7 types. Where would the dust from 7 different types of nuts have come from?

Tree nuts are usually processed down the same lines as other tree nuts, not requiring extensive cleaning between uses. That's why, other than differentiating coconut (which is not a tree nut biologically, but is labeled a tree nut by the government, and which does not go down those lines), most labels only say "contains tree nuts" - you need to find tree nuts that say "in our facility we only process almonds" if you want to find tree nuts that are purely only that nut.

So, depending on levels, the 7 tree nuts may be 1 tree nut type that got contaminated by being processed on a line that does mixed nuts (vs someone else's suggestion of the line chef eating them and tasting a dish). I'm not sure released autopsy reports (which I haven't seen) would help certainty on this b/c if she was so allergic, she'd probably react whether it was a speck or a whole nut from any of the 7 types...

 

[TwoMisfits]

I think Benadryl needs to be administered quickly. Any delays in medication make things risky. I remember reading about a child who reacted to someone throwing cheese at his face and the school delayed administering the Epipen until it was too late (he was begging for it while he could still talk).

Allergy reactions build and don't stop if the allergen is still in the body until something is given to slow or stop the reaction...so yes, you should always take an allergy med asap if you suspect you encountered the allergen.

 

[TwoMisfits]

And as for dairy vs milk allergy, it has become interesting b/c if you say milk allergy, no one thinks of butter - if you say dairy, folks sometimes also include eggs/mayo.

Since I have more issues if someone thinks less broadly vs more broadly (and most places here have dairy boxes to check on allergy menus, not milk ones - this may be region specific), I always say Dairy. Especially since another problem is many hear "milk" and think "intolerance", and that's a big problem for me.

So, I do disagree with the person who says always say "milk allergy" vs "dairy allergy" - in the allergy world, better for folks making and cooking your food to be too safe vs not safe enough. And better for them to hear a word that always references allergies vs one that many people have an intolerance for.

 

[Disturbia]

Tree nuts are usually processed down the same lines as other tree nuts, not requiring extensive cleaning between uses. That's why, other than differentiating coconut (which is not a tree nut biologically, but is labeled a tree nut by the government, and which does not go down those lines), most labels only say "contains tree nuts" - you need to find tree nuts that say "in our facility we only process almonds" if you want to find tree nuts that are purely only that nut.

So, depending on levels, the 7 tree nuts may be 1 tree nut type that got contaminated by being processed on a line that does mixed nuts (vs someone else's suggestion of the line chef eating them and tasting a dish). I'm not sure released autopsy reports (which I haven't seen) would help certainty on this b/c if she was so allergic, she'd probably react whether it was a speck or a whole nut from any of the 7 types...

I agree with this. DD has severe allergies and she reacted to chocolate coins and Nespresso chocolate which have no nuts but are made in facility. She is ok with made in facility with most manufacturers as long as nuts are not an ingredient, maybe if manufacturers don’t clean in between (to standards) they should relabel the product as ‘may contain nuts’.

 

[Disturbia]

And as for dairy vs milk allergy, it has become interesting b/c if you say milk allergy, no one thinks of butter - if you say dairy, folks sometimes also include eggs/mayo.

Since I have more issues if someone thinks less broadly vs more broadly (and most places here have dairy boxes to check on allergy menus, not milk ones - this may be region specific), I always say Dairy. Especially since another problem is many hear "milk" and think "intolerance", and that's a big problem for me.

So, I do disagree with the person who says always say "milk allergy" vs "dairy allergy" - in the allergy world, better for folks making and cooking your food to be too safe vs not safe enough. And better for them to hear a word that always references allergies vs one that many people have an intolerance for.

Our son has severe dairy allergies. Which region is this so we can avoid! He is now allergic to human milk as well (which he drank until he was 15 months old).

 

[TwoMisfits]

Our son has severe dairy allergies. Which region is this so we can avoid! He is now allergic to human milk as well (which he drank until he was 15 months old).

Southeast.

I will say (for travel) certain parts of Tennessee were flummoxed no matter which way I said the allergy (I just started explaining what couldn't be eaten normally to wait staff). It's why I always tell a waiter/waitress that I have no problems waiting for them to chat with a chef, even if they have to do it multiple times. And if I find waitstaff originally flummoxed, I always order "as safe as possible." A plain burger no bun (with a paid side of fruit) is my "safest" meal for places that seem confused by allergies. But sometimes, when you're traveling and you get stuck with no oven (I always have a fridge), you have to make do.