Former Hollyoaks star Ali Bastian has shared the terrifying story of how she had to rush her daughter Isla, 5, to hospital after noticing ‘extreme’ symptoms.
The Becca Dean actress took to Instagram to update her followers on the situation, explaining that Isla had had an allergic reaction after eating egg.
When Isla was four months old, Ali was told her daughter had allergies to peanuts, milk and eggs. It left the actress with the task of early weaning.
‘Isla, my five-year-old, had an allergic reaction last night,’ she said in her recent video. ‘What came to light is how important it is to understand that allergic reactions can look so different to what you might expect, or what you’ve seen in movies’.
She went on to explain that Isla had had a ‘systemic reaction’, and the symptoms began around 15 minutes after eating a burger bun containing egg.
‘She went really tired and floppy,’ Ali explained. ‘She was having a systemic reaction and that typically is what happens with her.
‘So, I wasn’t seeing a respiratory reaction or swelling or hives or coughing or sneezing or any of the things that people might imagine. What I had was a very limp, suddenly very exhausted, very pale, floppy child.’
She continued to detail how she got Isla home, gave her an EpiPen, called an ambulance and, after realising there had been no change in Isla’s condition, administered a second EpiPen.
She reassured her followers that after being taken to hospital for observations, Isla was now home and doing ‘fine’.
However, Ali admitted that the ordeal had left her questioning whether anyone else would have noticed Isla’s symptoms and connected them to her allergies.
‘I’m so keyed into her and the subtleties of this, and I’ve seen these kinds of reactions before. They call it a loss of levels, where it was almost like she’d had a litre of vodka. I just had that gut feeling that she’s not right,’ she explained.
‘My hope is that by sharing this, it might help a friend or a teacher know that if there’s a sudden change in the child’s behaviour and something is going on like that, just to join those dots and think, “This could be an allergy, this could be a reaction”.’
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Ali’s followers were quick to share their support in the comments of the post.
‘Terrifying ! Great instincts Ali, so glad it worked out,’ fellow Hollyoaks and The Bill alum Ben Richards wrote, while allergy specialist Dr Helen praised Ali for how she handled the situation.
‘Hi Ali. Sending love. This is tough. We had the exact same presentation in clinic this weekend, I just looked , saw the little one go sleepy and went- nope, we need an EpiPen. It can easily be overlooked. It sounds like you did a fantastic job,’ she wrote.
Ali is also mum to two-year-old Isabella, who she shares with husband David O’Mahony.
Hollyoaks fans will best know Ali for her role as Becca Dean in the Channel 4 soap, who she played from 2001 until 2007. She has also appeared in The Bill and Doctors.
In recent years, she has spoken openly about her own journey after being diagnosed with cancer, sharing the news that she was given the all-clear last year.
