A college student tragically passed away after unknowingly consuming a brownie that had peanuts, to which she was severely allergic.
Hannah Glass, aged 19, experienced a severe allergic reaction on November 4 after eating the brownie made with roasted peanut flour. Her family explained that the brownie used this ingredient as a substitute for wheat flour.
“The second bite, she knew something was wrong,” her father, David Glass, shared with Wisconsin’s WISN12.
“We believe because this product contained roasted peanut flour, separate from oily peanut butter, that masked this.”
Following the reaction, Glass contacted her parents, reporting symptoms like vomiting and hives. Despite taking Benadryl and resting, she began to struggle with breathing, leading to discomfort and a collapsed lung, eventually losing consciousness.
Though the freshman at Maranatha Baptist University had used her EpiPen, her parents hurried to her campus in Watertown, Wisconsin, to assist her. They contacted emergency services and brought her outside the dormitory to receive medical attention.
“She was completely unresponsive and I was incredibly helpless,” her family expressed, noting that Glass suffered from seizures and her heart stopped for several minutes during the ambulance ride.
Placed on a ventilator, tests indicated severe brain swelling that incapacitated her body.
“When Hannah rolled on her side, the Anaphylaxis reaction that we had not seen before hit her incredibly hard,” her family wrote on Facebook.
“This caused her to gasp for breath, leading to the collapsing of a lung, further exacerbating the situation and making the ability of us, the EMTs, and the doctor at Watertown hospital impossible to fix.
“The majority of her brain was unmistakably, seriously, critically, and without the life-sustaining measures in place, terminally damaged. There were no conversations about quality of life or anything like that. This was only life and death!”
Her parents decided to remove her from life support on November 10. In honor of her legacy, they chose to donate her organs, and an Honor Walk was organized by family, friends, and medical staff.
The brownie had been purchased by Glass’ friend from a women’s group at her university.
According to CBS 58, her organs have saved four lives.
Her family is now emphasizing the importance of allergy awareness.
“Always be aware. Make sure your EpiPens are up to date,” her father advised.
You can donate here.