'You need to phone an ambulance' - Husband recounts moments after mum's fatal allergic reaction to Pret sandwich that should have been vegan
06.09.2022 - 17:37
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A mum-of-five with serious dairy allergy collapsed and died after eating a Pret a Manger wrap that should have been vegan, an inquest heard. Celia Marsh, 42, a dental nurse from Melksham, Wiltshire, died on December 27 2017 after eating a super-veg rainbow flatbread from the sandwich chain's store in Bath, Somerset.
The wrap had contained yogurt which was supposed to be vegan, but was later found to have traces of dairy protein in it. The mother-of-five suffered from a severe dairy allergy and Avon Coroner’s Court was told she 'religiously avoided' all dairy products following a near-fatal allergic reaction months earlier.
Mrs Marsh had been on a post-Christmas shopping trip with her husband and three of her daughters when she went into Pret to buy something to eat. In his statement, which was read to the hearing by the coroner's officer, Andy Marsh said his wife had begun to feel 'a bit funny' after eating the wrap, while they were in clothing store Gap, and they decided to leave the shop.
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He said: "We started walking down the narrow side street by the Gap store and Celia had her asthma inhaler out. She used it a couple of times and I asked her if she was OK.
"She said she was struggling to breathe but it may be because of the cold air. We then moved to a small side street on the left and I pulled her to one side."
He said Mrs Marsh had initially thought she was 'being silly' because the sandwich had been labelled 'vegan'. "She had her Epipen in her hand and I said to her that if she thought there was any chance she was having a reaction that she should just do it and use the pen as it doesn’t matter," he said.
"She then said to me 'You need