Updated April 17: An American college student on a study trip to Italy has sadly died of a severe anaphylactic reaction.
On April 2, Avarie Anne Tierney, 21, and friends staying in Rome stopped at a vegan restaurant for a meal.
After taking a few bites of the avocado toast she ordered, police said the student from Los Angeles felt symptoms of an allergic reaction and assumed there must have been cashew in her lunch.
Two close friends of the Tierney family contacted Allergic Living to say that, contrary to the local police report cited in our original article, Avarie did not have difficulty communicating her tree nut allergy to the restaurant staff. Family friend Lisa said the restaurant put pesto with cashew on her avocado toast after “she clearly told them of her nut allergy.”
As she felt allergy symptoms, family friend Debi said Avarie used her inhaler and took Benadryl. When those didn’t bring relief, she used two EpiPen auto-injections. Lisa said Avarie in fact had three auto-injectors with her that day, and that the family is told the first EpiPen malfunctioned.
As the crisis was unfolding, one of Avarie’s lunch companions called emergency services. Lisa says: “The two EpiPens were not enough to save her, given the amount of ground cashews she was exposed to and the fact the paramedics did not have the proper medicine in the ambulance to give her when they arrived.”
Avarie Communicated Her Allergy
Debi and Lisa were asked to share the updated information with Avarie’s mother’s permission. She wanted them to communicate that Avarie was always conscientious about carrying her epinephrine. Lisa relayed that Avarie had communicated about her nut allergy, but her mom says the restaurant staff did not tell her the pesto spread on her avocado toast contained cashew.
According to the family, police have charged the restaurant in Rome with negligent homicide.
Avarie was a student at Biola University, a private Christian college in Los Angeles. She was a vivacious presence on social media, posting frequently about her European trip. In every photo, she was the one with an ever-present smile.
Some of her close friends had known her since elementary school in Los Angeles. One friend, Ava, said in an Instagram tribute: “she carried a type of joy that was contagious & infectious.” Her friend Lillian meanwhile wrote, “though I lost a sister, I gained a guardian angel. I love you Avarie.”
It is a terrible loss for her family and tight-knit circle of friends.
Takeaways from Young Tragedies
A few months ago, I wrote that I’m particularly concerned about the growing number of food allergy tragedies we are seeing among those in their 20s and 30s.
In honor of Avarie and other young lives lost, remind those you know with food allergies: carry your epi devices and don’t hesitate to use epinephrine if you think you need it.
If you have food allergies, please do carry allergy translation cards, such as Equal Eats. Such a tool can make a big difference in getting a safe meal.
Related Reading:
Why All the Food Allergy Tragedies? What Has Got to Change
