Little Boy Dies After Suffering Allergic Reaction to Grilled Cheese

A three-year-old boy from Harlem, New York died after suffering an allergic reaction to a grilled cheese sandwich.

Elijah Silvera, who suffered from a severe dairy allergy, went into anaphylactic shock after he was fed a grilled cheese sandwich at Seventh Avenue Center for Family Services, The Sun reports. The toddler, who had just become a student at the pre-school recently, was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. His family had alerted the school to Silvera’s dairy allergy prior to enrolling him.

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“On November 3rd, 2017, our beloved Elijah was playing peacefully at his pre-k in Harlem, NYC, when he was given a grilled cheese sandwich by an adult at the pre-k, despite them knowing and having documented that he has a severe allergy to dairy. Elijah went into anaphylactic shock and was taken to the Pediatric ER at Harlem Hospital, where, tragically, they were unable to save him,” a family member wrote on a GoFundMe that was set up to help raise funds for the three-year-old’s funeral costs.

“It is an unimaginable time for everyone who loved Elijah, in particular for his 5-year-old brother Sebastian, who struggles to understand that his brother is truly gone,” the post continues. “We dread the upcoming holiday season without our little boy. We are lost. For everyone who has already reached out to us with a text, a phone call, or a hot plate of food, it is your expressed care that keeps us going.”

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The pre-school was shut down on November 8 and the Department of Health is investigating the incident. Seventh Avenue Center for Family Services also announced that it will be conducting its own investigation.