The smell of fish was enough to kill an allergic NJ boy
PISCATAWAY — An 11-year-old boy told his dad he loved him moments before he died on New Year's Day after an asthmatic reaction to his grandmother's preparation of a fish dinner.
Camron "Prince" Jean-Pierre was at his grandmother's home in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn when he was overcome by the reaction. He was taken to Brookdale Hospital, where he later died, according to the New York Police Department, which said a cause of death had yet to be determined by the medical examiner's office.
His father, Stephen, told the New York Daily News that Prince had an allergic reaction to the protien particles released into the air from the cod that was being cooked.
The reaction to inhaling food particles is known as food hypersensitivity. Doctors recommend that highly-sensitive people carry injectable epinephrine and medical alert identification.
Stephen told the newspaper that his son used a nebulizer to inhale medication when he started to feel the effects but it didn't work. The dad then tried CPR to revive him.
Camron gave his father two kisses and told him he loved him before his death.
Camron was a student at the Theodore Schor Middle School in Piscataway.
“Our entire school community is deeply saddened by the loss of Cameron and we express our heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends,” schools Superintendent Teresa M. Rafferty said in a statement. “He was a good student and a positive and happy presence in the classroom. Our crisis management procedures and counselors are in place to help our students through this tragedy. We will continue to offer our support to the family in whatever way we can.”
A GoFundMe page was created to help the family with funeral expenses.
Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ