Sam,10, saves food allergy victim pal

A QUICK-thinking Sheffield youngster has been praised for coming to the rescue of a friend who suffered an allergic reaction at school.

Max Roberts, aged 10, has a severe allergy to egg and nuts, which was triggered when he accidentally picked up a lunchbox identical to his and ate another child's ham and mayonnaise sandwich.

The Hunter's Bar Junior School pupil quickly started to feel unwell, had trouble breathing, become anxious and needed to sit down.

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But fortunately his friend Sam Amir, also 10, from Ecclesall, immediately notice Max was in distress and alerted a teacher to his plight.

Thanks to Sam's quick reaction, Max, from Nether Edge, was rapidly given medical attention.

The school's first aider gave him a piriton tablet - an anti-allergy medication - plus a ventolin inhaler to open up his airways and help him breath more easily.

Sam sat with Max as the teacher continued to monitor his condition.

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The school knew what to do because it had a policy in place.

Max's reaction was swiftly stopped because he received treatment so quickly, which meant he did not need to use his epipen medication, an adrenaline injection which is used to reverse a severe allergic reaction.

Max's mother Julia Burrows, aged 44, said: "We are exceptionally grateful to Sam for his actions and he did the right thing."

The youngster was given a certificate and a medal for acting so sensibly.

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Julia said Max was just a toddler when he had his first bad reaction to egg, which can cause sickness, coughing and breathing problems.

She hopes the incident will raise awareness of allergies, which are on the increase among children, although doctors as yet do not know why.

Schools have policies in place for pupils with allergies, to ensure they have a plan of action to treat individual children.

Reactions can be fatal.

Mother-of-three Julia said they also take precautions at home with food and Max is learning to read food labels and be aware of the need for vigilance.

"It is very anxiety provoking and we have to be careful," she added.

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