Killer nuts

By Danielle Galvin
A SHOT of adrenaline and a quick-thinking friend saved 19-year-old Ashlyn Van Den Broek’s life last week.
The Cranbourne Psychology student, who has a severe nut allergy, bit into the open grill sandwich she had ordered.
Ashlyn took a bite of the sandwich to discover the char grilled vegetables were “smeared with pesto”, containing pine nuts and cashews she’s severely allergic to.
“To get the call saying your daughter is in the back of an ambulance is just horrifying,” Mum Marisa Van Den Broek said.
In the five minutes it took for the ambulance to arrive, Ashlyn had already administered herself a shot of adrenaline.
“I freaked out and my best friend, who knows about it, started freaking out too,” Ashlyn said.
By the time the paramedics arrived, Ashlyn could feel lumps on the inside of her mouth and her throat was tingling.
Her quick-thinking friends called the ambulance as Ashlyn started showing signs of an anaphylactic reaction.
“The EpiPen is a shot of adrenaline, which postpones the reaction by 10 minutes at most. Every time you use it it’s less effective and the reaction affects you faster,” she said.
The owner of the café in Pakenham has had regular contact with the Van Den Broeks since Ashlyn’s experience last Thursday afternoon.
“This isn’t about that particular café or the staff there. The owner has been really great, and she’s educated her staff and changed the menus. We’ve actually spoken to her a few times about it,” Marisa said.
But it’s a battle for Ashlyn every time she dines in a restaurant or café.
Mostly, she warns the waiter that she has a severe nut allergy.
She mistakenly thought that ordering a sandwich wouldn’t be an issue, and neglected to tell the staff about her allergy.
Mum Marisa said the café was not to blame.
“The lady who made the sandwich mistakenly put pesto on at the last minute. Pesto isn’t normally on that sandwich. We all make mistakes, no one’s perfect. But it’s about educating the food industry and staff about nut allergies. This is a matter of life or death.”
It’s the second time that Ashlyn has had to administer herself a shot of adrenaline in a restaurant.
A few years ago, the family were celebrating their father’s 50th birthday at a restaurant in Cranbourne.
The chef put pesto in the chicken risotto to give it more flavour.
Ashlyn’s father Kevin called an ambulance after the staff failed to realise the severity of the situation.
“That’s our life,” Marisa said.
Ashlyn’s younger brother also has a severe nut allergy.
“I think people need to know how serious it is,” Ashlyn said.
Next week, Ashlyn’s heading off to Europe to travel and see the world.
Her life-saving EpiPen will go with her wherever she goes.
“At least I’m old enough to recognise the reaction. For a little kid, they may have kept eating without realising why they were feeling sick,” she said.
Three or four more bites may have cost Ashlyn her life.