The mother of the 11-year-old who tragically passed away after eating cake has sent an important warning to parents.
What began as a joyful family vacation turned into an unthinkable tragedy for Oakley Debbs, who was from South Florida.
It was Thanksgiving week in 2016, and the 11-year-old's family was visiting the Northeast, enjoying a picture-perfect holiday getaway.
The kids got to experience snow, something Oakley had always wanted. “Yes, he got to have snow,” his mom, Merrill, recalled during an interview with NBC Miami. But the joy didn't last.
On Wednesday night, the young boy had taken a bite of a cake that had been left out on the kitchen counter. “Hand bite. No slice, no knife, no fork. Nothing significant, the mom said.
That single bite had walnuts and Merrill remembers how Oakley immediately became worried.
“He says, ‘Mommy, I think I just ate a nut,’” she recounted. “I was like, what? He’s like, ‘I think I just ate a nut.’”
Oakley had a known nut allergy and asthma, so Merrill immediately gave him over-the-counter allergy medicine. At first, there were no alarming symptoms. “He doesn’t have a hive, he doesn’t have a blister,” she said. “Doesn’t feel anything at all.”
He took a shower, got ready for bed, and seemed fine until about 90 minutes later. “He started complaining about stomach pain,” Merrill said. “I’m rubbing his back, and he’s just lying there. He’s not saying anything, and I think, ‘well maybe he’s starting to fall asleep.’”
Suddenly, he sat up straight, and his eyes were "big." He then ran into the toilet and vomited. “But this time, the difference is his eyes start to swell up and he says, ‘my throat, my throat, my throat.’ His throat starts to close up. He tells me to call 911. That’s the last thing he said to me,” she shared.
The heartbroken mother didn’t have epinephrine, the life-saving treatment that could have stopped the reaction in its tracks.
Paramedics arrived at the house shortly after and administered a shot, but unfortunately, it was too late.
“The epinephrine stopped the reaction inside his body, but at this point, the heart had stopped too long, and there wasn’t enough oxygen going to his brain,” Merrill said. “He was basically brain dead.”
A few days later, the family had to say goodbye to the beloved 11-year-old.
For Merrill, sharing what happened to her son is far from easy. “It’s a tough story,” she said, but one she believes others need to hear.
“Hopefully somebody else hears me, hears this story and decides to put together an emergency plan for their child,” she said.
Nearly nine years after losing her son, Merrill has channeled her grief into action. She launched Red Sneakers for Oakley, named after her son’s favorite shoes, to raise awareness around food allergies and promote preparedness. “He was a great kid...There’s so many things that remind me of him," she said.
She has also pushed for increased funding for food allergy research, along with more consistent school policies, statewide training requirements, and a comprehensive online resource guide.
The pain hasn’t gone away, but Merrill’s mission is clear - making sure no other family has to go through what hers did.