Reader Stories

Cross-contamination from airport salad, ill-prepared flight attendants, and lack of care almost resulted in one 18-year-old’s death. For two hours I sat on the ground of the bathroom floor, struggling to breathe and jittering from the shot of epinephrine, going in and out of consciousness. It was truly my worst nightmare. I was traveling alone, and I was completely UNMONITORED for a full 2 hours after an initial check once after I administered the EpiPen. The flight attendants seemed flustered and unsure of what to do the entire time.
My daughter had an anaphylactic reaction on board an Asiana flight. As soon as the meal service began, a pungent sesame seed oil smell permeated through the cabin. She had an anaphylactic reaction, she did not consume the meal. After I administered an Epi-Pen, they ignored our pleas to land. No communication took place between the captains and myself and my husband, both medical personnel (my husband is an MD and I am a PA). We never even saw a pilot. No medical questions were asked. No one spoke with us. An hour and a half later, after a flight attendant witnessed our child’s now uncontrollable vomiting, the captain announced that he would be flying back to JFK, 3 hours away. Upon landing, she had another reaction, so this was a biphasic reaction. Not one Asiana employee attempted to help. She was hospitalized for 3 days. Many thanks to the NYC port authority and EMS.