The family of an Exeter student who died from an allergic reaction has spoken out about allergy awareness and guidance abroad.
18-year-old Lily King was on holiday in Morocco when she suffered from a fatal anaphylactic reaction.
She died in June 2024 after eating in a restaurant with her mother, who had taken her on holiday to celebrate her first year university results.
Lily, from Buckinghamshire, had lived with multiple severe allergies, including seafood, dairy, nuts, and sesame.
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On holiday in Rabat, Morocco, the family chose to eat at Maya Restaraunt and Lounge, a place they had eaten at before. Her mother, Aicha King, explicitly informed the restaurant staff three times about Lily’s allergies.
Aicha told the BBC: “The restaurant staff said we had to eat something, and I told them she had allergies and we would rather not eat, but they insisted it would be fine.”
Lily then ordered a simple meal of chicken and chips, but the meal arrived with other food and garnish alongside it.
via JustGiving
Despite reassurance from the restaurant, Lily began to suffer within minutes of trying a small piece of food. Her mother administered antihistamines and two EpiPens before Lily fell unconscious.
“She was being very, very strong, because she said, ‘Don’t stress mum, you know I love you. I love you. I’m very sorry, I’m going’, and then she passed out,” Lily’s mum said.
They then waited for an ambulance that never arrived and restaurant staff insisted they pay the bill before leaving, deferring Lily’s urgent trip to the hospital.
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“They delayed her from leaving the restaurant by a few minutes, which could have actually saved Lily’s life,” Lily’s father, Michael King, told The Sun.
Lily then suffered a heart attack on the 30 minute journey to the hospital. The following day, Lily became conscious again but suffered a seizure, with a brain scan later revealing no brain activity.
via JustGiving
Lily was described as “a very caring girl and very intelligent” by her father. Despite her struggles with her allergies, she performed very well in school and was studying economics at Exeter University. Lily had just received the results from her first year, in which she earned a first.
Lily’s family are now urging the Moroccan government to take more responsibility in the education of allergies in the hospitality sector and warns families going abroad to take extra care when eating out.
The family said it had tried to take the restaurant to court in order to raise the issue at a national level.
Michael said: “We only want the Moroccan government to realise how important it is, and for their hospitality industry to recognise that restaurants should be told to educate their staff.
“I care about other families going through the same thing.”
They created a JustGiving page in memory of Lily, raising money for Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, which helps improve the lives of millions of allergy sufferers in the UK.
Featured image via JustGiving
