College Student in Ohio Suffers Fatal Allergic Reaction to Milk Product
A college student in Ohio was found dead in his dorm after experiencing a severe allergic reaction, multiple outlets report.
Logan Lewis, who was enrolled in his second year of Hocking College’s medical lab technician program, was found unresponsive by authorities in his dormitory on Dec. 6, according to WBNS.
His mother Jamie Baker shared the devastating news on Facebook, explaining that Lewis suffered from a serious milk allergy that proved fatal when he mistakenly consumed a product that contained milk as an ingredient.
She said the 20-year-old was not able to administer his EpiPen in time and succumbed to anaphylaxis.
“My one of a kind, handsome and amazing Son Logan Lewis gained his angel wings last night,” Baker wrote. “My world is shattered and words cannot describe the pain.”
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According to his obituary, Lewis served as a resident advisor and had a passion for football, sneakers and cats. He is survived by his parents and a brother and sister.
In the wake of the tragedy, Baker told WSYX that she hopes the situation will encourage others with life-threatening allergies to speak up about their conditions and alert emergency assistance so that scenarios like this can be avoided.
After Lewis accidentally consumed the milk product, he complained of feeling ill and went to his dorm room, his mom said. A roommate found Lewis unresponsive with the EpiPen in his hand.
“He was found there holding his EpiPen. It had taken over before he could administer the shot and it was too late when the EMTs arrived,” Baker told the outlet. “He took the EpiPen from Logan’s hand and administered it, and called 9-1-1 and it was still too late.”
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Baker said it’s not unusual for someone to accept a food item without giving a second thought as to whether a triggering ingredient could be present.
“It is so easy to accidentally get ahold of something you wouldn’t even think to say, ‘This has milk in it,’” she said. “I just would hope that kids today would make it known to their friends, ‘Hey I do have this allergy.’ “
She added: “We want to try to prevent another allergy-related death [and] give them the courage to say, ‘I have an allergy, and I am not afraid to tell it.’ And wear that ID bracelet, carry that EpiPen no matter what. To just make a difference, to save anyone, Logan would have wanted that.”
