Haydn’s tragic death will help save others

“MUM, I’m going to sit by the back door. I can't breathe very well.” These were the last words Emma Wileman heard her son Haydn say before he suffered a heart attack and collapsed.

The nine-year-old had experienced an unexpected and devastating allergic reaction to peanuts in the cereal he had eaten for breakfast just 30 minutes earlier.

Less than a day later Ms Wileman made the heartbreaking decision to switch off Haydn’s life support after doctors said there was nothing more that could be done for him.

Haydn had suffered from asthma for much of his life and had been hospitalised several times.

He had never been tested for allergies because, although his family were well-informed about both preventing and coping with asthma attacks, none of their medical advisors had even mentioned any possible other links.

Ms Wileman said: “I just had absolutely no idea about Haydn having a potential peanut allergy on top of his asthma.

“He was eating some crunchy cornflakes with nuts on them for breakfast that day and I didn't even think twice about it.

“After he finished eating them he said he felt a bit ill and ran to the toilet.

“I drove him to school but when we got there he still didn't feel right so I said to come home with me.

“I'm so glad I did that instead of insisting he go into school and see how he felt.

“When he got home he started having a severe asthma attack – or so I thought. I was used to it and gave him medication and called the ambulance.

“But then he suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the kitchen floor. I carried out CPR until the ambulance arrived.”

Haydn was taken to the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton but swiftly transferred to a specialist London hospital.

Tests confirmed Haydn had suffered an allergic reaction to the peanut.

Ms Wileman said: “It turned out to be so severe there was very little they could do. They were just pumping adrenalin into him but it wasn’t working.

“Eventually doctors said there was nothing more that could be done and Haydn would have been comatose for the rest of his life. That was something I did not want for him.”

As the reality of Haydn’s death began to sink in, Ms Wileman felt a growing sense of frustration and anger about the lack of information available.

She said: “It was all new to me. I had never heard of anaphylaxis. I associated allergies with hay fever and things like that.

“I began investigating and I was so cross that I did not know anything. I didn’t want any other parent to feel as stupid as I did.

“It just seemed this was a real area where information was needed.”

Ms Wileman, 39, from Telscombe Cliffs, also has a daughter Lexie, five, and older sons Mitchell, 14, and Orren, 17.

She decided to set up Haydn's Wish, a charity dedicated to raising awareness about asthma and its links to allergies and generating funding for vital research so other families would not experience the devastation hers had.

The charity has gone from strength to strength and even gained the support of TV doctor Hilary Jones.

It is also backing Allergy Awareness Week, which starts today and aims to generate more understanding about the issue.

Ms Wileman said: “It is just getting bigger and bigger and we are getting the message out there.

“We go into schools and talk about allergies in general, what Epipens are and make sure everyone understands.

“We are also raising thousands for research, including a study into finding out how to predict whether a child has an allergy.

“We also want to highlight that there is a test available to check whether a child is allergic.

“All too often it is only when the child has a violent reaction that you know they are susceptible. That’s what happened with Haydn.

“I don’t think people really fully understand just how much of a disability a peanut allergy is. It is a ticking time-bomb and you just have to be so careful. Even just touching one or something that contains peanuts can cause a reaction.”

Ms Wileman says her son would have loved the charity set up in his name.

She said: “He was a real earth child and enjoyed helping others.

“He loved it and thrived on it. He was involved in research into asthma at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School.

“He was a cheeky chappie who liked gardening and growing things.

“He loved to play football and climb trees and when he wasn’t dashing about, he always had his head in a book.

“We always said he lived life at 90mph. He talked at 90mph and he did everything at 90mph.

“It was as if he knew he had only a short time and wanted to fit everything in.

“I'm sure he is up there saying ‘go on!'”

Haydn’s Wish aims

THE two main aims of Haydn’s Wish are to raise awareness of the link between asthma and potentially fatal allergies and to raise funds for medical research.

Although Haydn’s Wish was first established as a local charity with close links to the Brighton and Sussex Medical School, it has recently been spreading its influence further afield.

It now has a national awareness programme, where it travels around the UK, visiting schools and exhibitions to talk to children, parents, teachers about the link between asthma and allergies.

It also has active Facebook and Twitter accounts. The charity also works alongside Allergy UK.

For more details about its work and to see a video being used as part of a national TV campaign with Hilary Jones, visit www.haydns-wish.co.uk.

Allergy information

An allergy is when the body’s immune system reacts to something that is normally harmless. Many things can cause allergies such as pollens, foods, and house dust mites.

Allergic reactions vary a lot and can include sore throat, runny nose, red/itchy skin, sneezing and wheezing. Food allergies can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation.

Allergies and asthma have a lot in common and often occur together – the majority of children with asthma also have allergies. Some studies show that as many as 90% of children with asthma are also affected by allergies.

Allergies can cause asthma-type symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing and chest tightness in non-asthma sufferers with food allergies.

The term 'allergic asthma' is used for people whose asthma is definitely linked to allergies.

Many people have more than one kind of asthma trigger which includes exercise, infections and cold air as well as pollen and nuts.

If your child has asthma and you think allergens may also be triggering attacks, speak to your GP about getting allergy tested at their next asthma review.

People concerned if their child is allergic to something, even if they are not asthmatic, should also contact their GP for a diagnosis.

Allergens include egg whites, milk, fish, wheat, nuts, some fruits, bees and wasps, shellfish, pollen, dust mites, mould and pet hair.

For more information on allergies and how to manage them see www.nhs.uk/ Conditions/Allergies

Factfile

• An estimated 21 million adults in the UK suffer from at least one allergy
• UK hospital admissions for food allergies have increased by 500% since 1990.
• The prevalence of diagnosed allergic rhinitis and eczema in children have both trebled over the last three decades
• 20% of the population is affected by allergic rhinitis
• Asthma, Rhinitis and Eczema have trebled in the last 20 years
• 10% of children and adults under the age of 45 have two or more allergies
• 50% of children and young people have one or more allergy within the first 18 years of life
• Allergies cost the NHS about £900 million a year
• The UK is one of the top three countries in the world for the highest incidence of allergy