I’ll never get over watching my friend die from an allergic reaction
NATASHA Ednan-Laperouse was just 15 when she suffered a fatal allergic reaction to a Pret A Manger baguette on a flight to Nice.
Here, her best friend Bethany Holloway, 18, recounts the horrifying events of that day – and why her death will never be in vain.
While Tashi and I waited for take-off, we could barely sit still. We’d counted down the days until our first holiday together to France and it was finally here. But just 20 minutes into the flight, Tashi had a catastrophic anaphylactic shock after eating a Pret A Manger baguette that hadn’t listed sesame in its ingredients.
Her death sent shockwaves across the country, but even though it was three years ago, I still get flashbacks to our final moments together. I first spotted Natasha – or Tashi, as I called her – in the playground at school when we were eight, and I knew we were going to be best friends.
She had this big grin on her face and from then on we were inseparable, spending every day at school together, singing and playing during lunchtime. We even made up our own language.
I was always aware that Tashi had serious allergies to dairy, nuts, seeds and bananas. We were warned at school not to eat anything she was allergic to near her because of the airborne food particles, and she always carried antihistamines and two EpiPens with her.
At my birthday each year she’d have her own special cake, and the only place we could go for dinner was Nando’s, where she’d have plain chicken and chips.
Tashi was always so calm about her allergies, I never thought they could be fatal. She was also incredibly funny, as well as kind, honest and smart – she wanted to be a pilot – and I loved being her best friend.
So when Tashi asked me to go to Nice on holiday with her and her dad Nadim, 54, in spring 2016, I jumped at the chance. Our parents were friends, so my mum Julia, 46, was happy for me to go.
Tashi was really excited and planned an itinerary: we were going to go to the beach one day, Monte Carlo the next and to a restaurant she’d picked out. We’d never been abroad together and the night before I stayed over at her house, though we barely slept a wink.
The next day, on July 17, 2016, we went to Heathrow airport for our flight to Nice. Just before boarding Tashi was hungry so she quickly ate an artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette from Pret.
She’d been careful to check for allergens, but the packaging hadn’t included sesame – an ingredient she was severely allergic to – within the nutritional information because, as it was made fresh on the premises, it was not required by law.
Just after take-off Tashi wasn’t feeling well and took an antihistamine, but I didn’t worry until 20 minutes later when I saw a red rash on her lower back. She was also becoming quite stressed and struggling to breathe, despite using her inhaler, and said she was having a bad reaction to something.
Nadim took her to the toilet at the front of the plane to inject her EpiPen. I knew she’d be upset because she hated it – the needle was really long and had to be injected straight into her muscle, which hurt. But, moments later, Nadim rushed back looking for Tashi’s second EpiPen. I didn’t realise at the time, but she was going into a fatal anaphylactic shock.
Natasha was also incredibly funny, as well as kind, honest and smart.
Bethany Holloway
Following Nadim to the front of the plane where Tashi was now sat, I felt sick with panic when I saw her – she was wearing an oxygen mask and looked pale and disorientated. After that, everything happened so quickly. Tashi fell unconscious and started vomiting, so air stewards made an announcement asking for any doctors on-board to come forward.
A man rushed down the aisle as they laid Tashi on the floor for him to perform CPR. Seeing my best friend’s limp body, I burst into tears.
When we landed 20 minutes later, paramedics came on-board and rushed Tashi to hospital. Nadim and I followed in another vehicle and he told me everything was going to be OK, but we were both terrified.
At the hospital, Nadim spoke to the doctor while I sat in the waiting room. When he relayed to me that Tashi had extreme brain damage and there was only a 5% chance she’d survive, his face was deathly pale.
I was devastated, but I still didn’t believe it was really the end – at that age you just don’t think one of your friends could die. I instantly called my mum, but I was so traumatised I barely remember the conversation. Five hours later, we were allowed to see Tashi.
She was in a private room, linked up to all sorts of machines, including breathing apparatus. I sat next to her and held her hand. Suddenly it hit me that she might not survive. Minutes later, a doctor confirmed my worst fears – Tashi wasn’t going to make it.
I was numb and completely heartbroken all at once. There wasn’t much time left, so Nadim phoned Tashi’s mum Tanya and her grandparents, then put the phone to Tashi’s ear so they could say their goodbyes.
When it was my turn, I barely contained my sobs as I told her how much I loved her. At 8.02pm, around 12 hours after we boarded the flight, Tashi was pronounced dead. Leaving the hospital to go to the apartment without her was one of the hardest things I’ve done.
Suddenly it hit me that she might not survive. Minutes later, a doctor confirmed my worst fears – Tashi wasn’t going to make it.
Bethany Holloway
I took a lock of her hair to keep with me. During the night, Tashi’s mum arrived and the following morning I flew home. Hugging my mum at the airport, I broke down. I spent the next two months in my bedroom, barely eating and refusing to see anyone.
When I went back to school for the new term that September, I felt so alone. Everything reminded me of Tashi and the grief was unbearable, especially at her cremation on November 5, at which I did a reading.
It wasn’t until September 2018 that the official inquest into Tashi’s death found that she’d died from an allergic reaction to sesame in the Pret baguette, which had been labelled “inadequately”. That Tashi had died because of such a simple oversight made me so angry.
I’ve since been to grief counselling, but I don’t know if I’ll ever meet another friend like Tashi – I think about her every day and each year on the anniversary I visit the crematorium garden to be close to her.
Together with her family, I’ve campaigned for stricter food labelling, resulting in Natasha’s Law, which is due to come into force in October 2021. The legislation requires foods that are pre-packed directly for sale to carry a full list of ingredients.
If this had been the case in 2016, Tashi would be here now. Tashi’s family also launched NARF – the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation – in December last year, which is campaigning for greater awareness of allergies and funding vital research into the cause of allergies.
I’m proud to be an ambassador for the foundation, too. Throughout everything, Nadim and Tanya have become like second parents to me and we spend a lot of time reminiscing about Tashi.
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Tomorrow would have been her 19th birthday, and I’ll be spending the day with her family and my mum. I’m also studying biology at university in the hope of specialising in food allergies.
I know Tashi would be so proud of all the work we’ve done since her death and it will undoubtedly save lives. I just wish we’d been able to save hers.
- For more information, visit Narf.org.uk
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