Yahoo News Woman who suffered catastrophic reaction to nut allergy back home after five years
A woman who suffered a severe reaction to a nut allergy on holiday in Hungary has returned home to her family after five years.
Amy May Shead, 31, will now live in a specially built annex at her parents’ Essex home, where she will receive 24-hour care.
The former ITV producer suffered anaphylactic shock after just one mouthful of a chicken meal at a Budapest restaurant in April 2014.
She is brain damaged, partially paralysed and unable to see or speak properly as a result.
Amy had been on a weekend away with friends when the tragedy happened.
She had shown her allergy card which warned of her severe allergies to the waiter, who had reassured her that the food she had ordered didn’t contain nuts.
But after one bite of her meal, Amy’s throat immediately felt strange. She administered both of her EpiPens, but they failed to counteract the effects of the nuts.
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Amy went into anaphylaxis, then suffered a cardiac arrest. Her brain was starved of oxygen for six minutes.
After three weeks in intensive care in Budapest Amy returned home, spending nearly two years in hospital in London before moving to the Marillac Care facility in Essex.
Despite a lengthy investigation by specialist lawyers, Amy’s family received no compensation from the restaurant as it didn’t hold public liability insurance.
Wheelchair-bound Amy will now receive round the clock care from the purpose-built annex at the home of her parents, Sue and Roger.
Sue told the BBC: “Amy was the most vivacious, outgoing, bubbly young lady you could ever wish to meet.
“We are still devastated. Every day is hard to get through. But we’d do anything for her.”
Amy’s aunt Julie Martin and cousin Tom have set up the Amy May Trust, which raises funds to pay for her care while also working to increase awareness of the seriousness of nut allergies.
