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By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
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A man enjoying a birthday night out while on vacation has documented the shocking moment his celebrations turned into a fight for survival after suffering from a severe allergic reaction.
A 2021 review published in the journal Allergy estimated that around 1 percent to 2 percent of people in many Western countries have a peanut allergy—like Ellis Edwards.
The symptoms can range from mild to severe. Some people may experience hives, mouth tingling, nausea or stomach cramps after exposure to peanuts. In more serious cases, a peanut allergy can trigger anaphylaxis, a severe, rapidly developing allergic reaction that can cause breathing difficulties, a sudden drop in blood pressure, or even death without prompt treatment, usually with epinephrine.
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With careful planning and clear communication about allergens, severe allergic reactions can often be avoided. However, as Edwards discovered while dining at an unnamed restaurant in Valletta, Malta, sometimes events can unfold that are entirely beyond a customer's control.
Edwards told Newsweek he has a "life-threatening peanut allergy" that he has always been careful to manage.
"Whenever I eat out, I'm extremely careful and always make staff aware before ordering anything," he said.
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That is what makes what unfolded that night so frustrating. On April 30, after dinner, the restaurant staff presented Edwards with several dessert options. He recalls "making it very clear that I couldn't eat anything containing peanuts." He said staff suggested an Oreo dessert from the menu.
"We were told the Oreo dessert only contained hazelnut in the Nutella and definitely no peanuts, and we were reassured that both desserts were safe for me to eat," Edwards said.
After a few spoonfuls, however, he said he started to notice his lips "tingling" and some "swelling" around his mouth, along with "mild difficulty breathing." Concerned he had eaten something containing peanuts, Edwards asked a fellow diner to taste the dessert. They told him it "tasted like peanuts."
Edwards said they raised the issue with two different members of staff at the restaurant. Both insisted there were "definitely no peanuts" in the dessert and that it contained only hazelnuts. Trusting those reassurances, Edwards and his party paid the bill and left.
"At that stage, although I had symptoms, they actually felt relatively mild," Edwards said. "Because my previous reactions had come on much more quickly, I genuinely thought I might have only had a tiny amount of whatever had caused it, or perhaps it wasn't peanut after all."
Fifteen minutes later, however, Edwards said his condition quickly worsened.
"My breathing became increasingly difficult, my face started swelling, my eyes were burning and itching, and I realized I was having a full anaphylactic reaction," he said.
Edwards' reaction had suddenly gone from manageable to life-threatening in a very short space of time. At around 12:50 a.m., he used the EpiPen he carries with him to give himself a dose of epinephrine in an attempt to counter the reaction.
However, his symptoms did not improve. Ten minutes later, he administered a second EpiPen, but he continued to deteriorate. By then, an ambulance had been called.
"Those moments were terrifying because I knew I was running out of treatment options before the ambulance arrived," Edwards said. "I genuinely believed I might not survive, and every minute waiting for the ambulance felt like a lifetime."
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When the ambulance arrived, paramedics treated Edwards for severe anaphylaxis. He was given additional epinephrine, oxygen and a nebulizer before being taken to a hospital. He remained hospitalized until May 2 while doctors carefully monitored his condition.
"This wasn't a mild allergic reaction," he said. "It was a life-threatening medical emergency."
Edwards had travel insurance, meaning the cost of his care was covered. However, the experience has left a lasting impact.
"I have become much more anxious about eating out and have lost a great deal of trust in allergen information provided by restaurants," he said. "For people with severe food allergies, we have no choice but to trust what we're told. When that information is wrong, the consequences can be devastating."
Since then, Edwards has posted a video to TikTok under the handle @_ellisedwards documenting what happened that night and warning others how "life can change in the blink of an eye."
"One minute I was celebrating my birthday and enjoying my holiday, and less than an hour later I was in the back of an ambulance fighting for my life after repeatedly being reassured that the food I had been served was safe for me to eat," he said.
While Edwards recovered from the ordeal, he hopes sharing his experience will serve as a reminder of just how serious food allergies can be—and how a single mistake can have potentially fatal consequences.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Rebecca Flood and Sam Wilson.
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