“Instant” allergy killed gentle giant (From Bournemouth Echo)

“Instant” allergy killed gentle giant

5:00pm Monday 14th January 2013 in News

A GRIEVING couple are seeking answers after their youngest son suddenly developed a fatal allergy to peanuts.

“Gentle giant” John Wild, 29, pictured, had eaten peanuts and peanut butter all his life with no ill-effects but was taken ill while enjoying a snack in his room.

Now his parents, Martin and Sandra, are hoping an inquest into John’s death will shed light on the tragedy.

Speaking from the family home near Lymington Mr Wild said: “We just want to know why he suddenly suffered such a massive reaction.

“We haven’t got a clue why it happened. He had very bad asthma as a boy but gradually grew out of it and was virtually clear by the age of 11.”

John worked as a greenkeeper alongside his older brother Graham at Walhampton golf course.

Mr Wild added: “He went to work as usual, came home and was sorting through his DVDs. When his mother took him a cup of tea he offered her some peanuts and asked when dinner would be ready.

“Graham looked in on him a few minutes later and he was gone.”

John died from anaphylactic shock thought to have been caused by a reaction to peanuts.

His sister Sarah said: “The ambulance crew said our bodies are changing all the time and that it’s possible to suddenly develop an allergy.”

A British Dietetic Association spokesman added: “Although it can happen, it’s unusual for someone to have an anaphylactic reaction to a food they have eaten many times before.”

John, who went to Brockenhurst College, was described by his father as “a big man with a big heart”.

Mr Wild said: “He was a gentle giant who was known as ‘the big fella’.”