Caroline Sloan lost her 14 year-old daughter, Emma, who had a serious peanut allergy, last December when she accidentally ingested a peanut sauce at a self-service restaurant in Dublin's city centre.
Caroline rushed into a pharmacy to request an EpiPen to save her daughter's life but was told she needed a prescription. She was advised to bring Emma to the emergency department at Temple St. Hospital but the teenager didn't make it. Emma died shortly afterwards on O'Connell St.
The heartbroken mother has now started a campaign called 'Emma's Voice' which she hopes will change the laws regarding the availability of EpiPens.
Caroline now believes that more measures need to be taken to ensure nothing like this happens ever again: "The law needs to be changed to allow EpiPens to be kept in schools and restaurants and creches so they can be used to save lives ... all children with allergies that could be fatal should have to wear special medic alert bracelets. Parents of those children should be given identity cards which would allow them to get an EpiPen in a pharmacy."
Caroline hopes that these measures will stop this tragic occurence from affecting other children, "Emma died needlessly. I'm so angry now. She was a young, vibrant woman with her life in front of her."
Mrs. Sloan is still awaiting the outcome of two investigations into her daughter's death but is taking steps to campaign these measures and has visited the Dail with Sinn Fein TD's to gain support in this investigation.
