Rhiannon Ingle
A heartbroken father has spoken out after his daughter tragically died on a first date after eating a meal she had tried before.
In May of last year, Alison Pickering, a 23-year-old college student from Texas was just a matter of days away from graduating at Tarleton State University when she went on the date.
Alison, who had a very severe peanut allergy, deliberately chose a restaurant she knew had food offerings she could eat despite her allergies after previously eating there.
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At the restaurant she ordered mahi-mahi, a fish dish, but wasn't aware that since the last time she'd been there, peanut sauce had been added to the recipe.
Alison's parents have since spoken out about the monumental loss and are now working to prevent more people from dying due to hidden allergens at restaurants.
"She would repeatedly go to the same restaurants and order the same dishes, you know. And that was a common thing," Alison's father, Grover told CBS News Texas.
"She took a few bites, realised something was wrong," he continued.
After feeling the warning signs of the reaction after eating the peanut sauce, Alison administered her EpiPen walked over to an ambulance outside where she spoke to the medics.
"She did her Epipen. The ambulance came. She actually walked to the ambulance talking to them, but somewhere along the way things went downhill," Grover said, adding what followed was 'tragic and it doesn't need to happen to anyone else'.
During the ordeal, Alison fell unconscious and tragically never woke up with her obituary stating she died from a 'severe anaphylactic shock from ingesting peanuts that were not disclosed on the restaurant menu'.
"A legacy that Alison leaves behind is the way that she loved people," the obituary added. "She looked out for her friends, co-workers, and everyone she met."
Over a year on from the tragic loss, Alison's parents are now demanding for a change in the food industry to ensure no one else has to suffer the fate of their beloved daughter.
"We would love to see more done to make wait staff and patrons aware," Alison's mother, Joy, urged.
Part of the changes made includes Texas restaurants taking active efforts to work on communication between all staff members involving changes to recipes especially when it comes to allergens.
"To determine what guidelines could be put in place to help restaurants have better communication to their customers as far as ingredients, much like labels on grocery store items you buy," Grover explained before Joy added: "I know we’re going to save lives by doing this."