Oakley, 11, ate a piece of cake without giving it much thought. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t know what was inside the cake. He died almost immediately.
Posted by Tyler Debbs Squire on Saturday, November 26, 2016
The family then had to come to terms with such a tragic loss and understand why Oakley couldn’t be saved.
“I don’t think my beautiful, amazing, talented, adorable son should have passed away,” said Merrill.
The family started the Red Sneaker Foundation which educates people on recognizing the signs of anaphylaxis, the acute multiorgan life-threatening reaction to allergens.
Oakley loved his red sneakers and the family decided to use them as a powerful symbol for increased education and awareness among communities of people with food allergies.
Posted by Red Sneakers For Oakley on Thursday, December 1, 2016
Even if there are mild allergic reaction symptoms, experts recommend the drug epinephrine be used immediately.
“The child of mine, he was a rock star, he was a good, good kid,” said Merrill. “And always in my heart of hearts, I knew that he would make a difference in his life – I just didn’t know it would be after he passed away. So that’s a big part of my driving force – the legacy of Oakley.”
Please share this story to raise awareness of the dangers of food allergies and how we can help to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.