What began as a routine family breakfast nearly ended in tragedy for a Georgia family after a 2-year-old toddler suffered a sudden, severe allergic reaction to eggs, highlighting the unpredictable nature of childhood food allergies. Kendall Thomas, 22, said the morning started as a "totally normal day" with her husband and daughter at her parents' home. "We went over to my mama and daddy's to eat, which we do a lot," Thomas told Newsweek.
"That night my daughter had gotten something on her onesie, so she ate in only a diaper." That detail proved crucial. "Approximately one minute" after consuming eggs—a food she had eaten many times previously without incident—the toddler developed a red rash on her abdomen. Thomas suspected an allergic reaction, noting a previous, minor incident months earlier.
"She had a small reaction a few months prior, but we didn't know to what, and it was very minor," Thomas said. "She'd eaten eggs and things with eggs many times with no reaction." Egg allergy is one of the most common food allergies in the United States, affecting about 0.9 percent of children overall and 1.3 percent of children under age 5, according to a study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. Researchers estimate that roughly 2.7 million Americans have an egg allergy.
While many reactions are mild, a significant minority are serious. Among children with egg allergy, 14.2 percent have experienced throat tightening, 11.5 percent wheezing and 11 percent low blood pressure, all of which are symptoms associated with potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis. Initially administering diphenhydramine (Benadryl) following prior pediatric guidance, Thomas watched as her daughter immediately vomited the medication.
As a widespread rash developed and the child began continuously coughing, the family rushed toward the nearest hospital. Within minutes, the child became unresponsive, vomited again, and stopped breathing. "She wasn't breathing," Thomas said.
"I remember feeling like time was moving so slow and so fast all at once and begging God to save her." As Thomas drove, her mother worked in the backseat to clear the child's airway and stimulate breathing. After roughly a minute of no breathing, the toddler gasped for air, began to cry, and screamed—a sound that signaled a critical turning point as the family pulled into the emergency department. Medical personnel evaluated the toddler upon arrival.
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