A TRAGIC five-year-old boy collapsed and died after suffering a serious allergic reaction at school, an inquest heard.
Benedict Blythe, who was in his first year at Barnack Primary School in Stamford, Lincolnshire, was allergic to milk, eggs and some nuts.
The youngster had been kept home on November 30 as he had been unwell and vomited in the night, an inquest was told.
He returned to school as normal the following day where he ate a biscuit from home.
Benedict, who also had chronic asthma, was offered oat milk by a teacher but refused to drink it, Peterborough Town Hall heard.
His parents were called to pick him up after he vomited and he later “collapsed” after being sick for a second time.
An adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) was administered by a first aid-trained teaching assistant but Benedict was “not responding” before CPR was attempted.
Benedict was rushed to hospital but tragically couldn’t be saved and died later that day.
His cause of death was given as food-induced anaphylaxis.
Benedict’s mum Helen Blythe told the inquest jury that vomiting was “always” the first symptom of his allergic reactions, but “how it played out after that varied”.
She said the youngster was “well aware” of his allergic reactions and had woken up “as normal and in good health” that morning.
A video was shown to the jury of Benedict opening his advent calendar before school with his younger sister on the day he died.
Helen said the chocolate he ate from the calendar was dairy-free.
The mum also told how she was “terrified” after learning Benedict had fallen ill at home.
Paying tribute, she added: “Quick-minded and kind-souled, Benedict’s love of ‘playing numbers’ was one hint to why he joined Mensa when he was four.
“His superpower was his kind heart, and it’s that kindness that is so missing from our lives.
“The first return to a new school year after his death, children said ‘I wish Benedict was here – he’d stop me feeling nervous’.”
Helen told how Benedict lived with bravely with his allergies, which sometimes meant missing out on parties and snacks other children can enjoy.
She continued: “The day Benedict died, our world broke but what’s even more unbearable is the knowledge that we weren’t alone.
“Benedict was not just a child with allergies, he was a whole universe – curious, funny, kind and loving – and the world should have been safer for him.”
The Benedict Blythe Foundation was set up in his memory by his family last year.
Along with The Allergy Team and the Independent Schools‘ Bursars Association (ISBA), the charity launched the schools allergy code to protect children with allergies and set out how schools can keep pupils safe.
The inquest, which is expected to last two weeks, continues.
