Cereal With Peanuts Sends Teen Into Coma

A 14-year-old girl has been in a coma for several weeks now after going into anaphylactic shock following a snack of cereal. Adrianna Aguirre went without oxygen for several minutes due to her severe peanut allergy. The reaction was caused by eating cereal that, unknown to Adrianna, contained traces of peanuts.

Her father, Edward Aguirre, says "It's been just a roller coaster ride of emotions" since his daughter ended up in a coma. The high school freshman now lies in a hospital bed at Hacienda Healthcare Center. She's kept alive through the help of machines and a feeding tube.

Doctors are unable to determine Adrianna's chances for recovery. Although she recently opened her eyes, she has not spoken or moved since the allergy attack. The monitors do show brain activity, offering a glimmer of hope for her family and friends. "She's making progress, but we don't know to what extent," Edward said. At this time, it is unknown whether Adrianna will ever come out of the coma.

This unfortunate case serves as a reminder for those with severe peanut allergies to avoid any food that may contain even a trace of peanut products. As those with severe allergies well know, foods such as cereal do not have to contain full peanuts in order to be potentially deadly.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2011/04/05/20110405girl-in...