PHUKET: It was the telephone calls no mother wants to take, and it came from Phuket where 14-year-old Ethan Williams was failing to respond to treatment.
The British youngster, on his first overseas holiday, had suffered an allergic reaction to eating some cashew nuts - a reaction that he'd never experienced before.
At home in Cardiff, his mother Emma took the call from relatives at Phuket's Patong Hospital, where doctors were fighting to save Ethan's life.
Ethan had travelled to Phuket for a two-week break with his father's extended family having recently been reunited with them, according to the news site, walesonline.
In an interview, Ethan's 31-year-old mother said: ''I was doing a Sunday dinner when I got a phone call from Ethan's aunt.
''She said 'Hi Em, Ethan's in hospital, he's not responding'. I asked her what she meant and she told me he wasn't responding, that he wasn't breathing.
''She asked whether he was allergic to anything and I said 'not that I know of'.
''His uncle then phoned me and told me to start praying. I did and kept saying 'come on son you can do this'.
She added: ''I could hear all the commotion in the background and I could hear his uncle telling the doctors they couldn't stop.
''I then spoke to the Thai doctor who told me they'd been working on him for an hour and a half and that they couldn't do anymore.
''I remember breaking down and screaming 'no, no, no'.
''I wouldn't give consent for them to stop so they carried on for another half hour. He died at 1.45pm our time.''
Ethan was, from all accounts, a ''great kid.''
Ethan's father, Dixon Amadife, only met his son in September last year: ''I was so scared at how he would be but he was so warm, we never felt uncomfortable around each other, he was so welcoming.'''
Ethan's funeral will take place on Tuesday, September 10, with mourners asked to wear blue.
The British youngster, on his first overseas holiday, had suffered an allergic reaction to eating some cashew nuts - a reaction that he'd never experienced before.
At home in Cardiff, his mother Emma took the call from relatives at Phuket's Patong Hospital, where doctors were fighting to save Ethan's life.
Ethan had travelled to Phuket for a two-week break with his father's extended family having recently been reunited with them, according to the news site, walesonline.
In an interview, Ethan's 31-year-old mother said: ''I was doing a Sunday dinner when I got a phone call from Ethan's aunt.
''She said 'Hi Em, Ethan's in hospital, he's not responding'. I asked her what she meant and she told me he wasn't responding, that he wasn't breathing.
''She asked whether he was allergic to anything and I said 'not that I know of'.
''His uncle then phoned me and told me to start praying. I did and kept saying 'come on son you can do this'.
She added: ''I could hear all the commotion in the background and I could hear his uncle telling the doctors they couldn't stop.
''I then spoke to the Thai doctor who told me they'd been working on him for an hour and a half and that they couldn't do anymore.
''I remember breaking down and screaming 'no, no, no'.
''I wouldn't give consent for them to stop so they carried on for another half hour. He died at 1.45pm our time.''
Ethan was, from all accounts, a ''great kid.''
Ethan's father, Dixon Amadife, only met his son in September last year: ''I was so scared at how he would be but he was so warm, we never felt uncomfortable around each other, he was so welcoming.'''
Ethan's funeral will take place on Tuesday, September 10, with mourners asked to wear blue.
I feel so sorry for this lad and his family. I do not know the circumstances of the case but Cashew nut and other tree nut allergies are generally treated with an injection of Epinephrine and in most cases the patient makes a rapid recovery. Tree nut allergy is entirely different to peanut allergy. In a recent case of cashew nut allergy the 12 year old daughter of a friend recovered within 2 hours of being given an injection of Epinephrine.
Posted by Pete on August 31, 2013 17:39