A school staff member has first airborne severe allergic reaction to chickpea curry, saved by ‘Anaphylaxis Kitt’
When Michelle Cochrane, a 49-year-old school staff member at The Oaks Primary School in Birmingham, sat down for lunch in the staff room, she had no idea she was about to experience a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction.
Thanks to the quick actions of her colleagues and the presence of an Anaphylaxis Kitt at her school, Michelle’s life was saved.
"It was just a normal lunch," Michelle recalls. "I had a sandwich, and my colleagues were eating too. I later found out that one of them had a chickpea curry, but at the time, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it.
Suddenly, I started to feel itchy on my face, agitated, and then I began wheezing. My throat felt like it was closing up, and I was struggling to breathe. My colleagues could see something was very wrong."
Michelle had previously experienced mild allergic reactions in the form of skin rashes, but nothing severe enough to require emergency treatment. However, within moments, her symptoms escalated rapidly.
“One of our first aiders, Justine Ryder, who remained incredibly calm under pressure, recognised anaphylaxis symptoms, remembered we had an Anaphylaxis Kitt in the office and ran to get it. I felt nauseous and actually fainted, and my colleagues had to put me into the recovery position. The Justine administered the adrenaline, and I felt immediate relief”.
Justine, who had completed first aid training and was familiar with anaphylaxis treatment, acted quickly and decisively. "Fortunately, she had the knowledge and confidence to recognize what was happening and didn’t hesitate," said Mary Cummins, a fellow staff member. "She knew we had the Kitt nearby and understood exactly how to use it. That saved Michelle’s life."
The paramedics arrived soon after, but Michelle’s ordeal wasn’t over. In the ambulance, she suffered a biphasic reaction – a secondary wave of anaphylaxis requiring additional doses of adrenaline.
"Had it not been for that first injection, things could have ended very differently," she says.
Michelle took two weeks off work to full recover from the incident, and the school is now putting measures in place to make they are a chickpea-free zone. Michelle has now been prescribed her own adrenaline pens, and is grateful for the school’s preparedness. "I feel incredibly lucky. I had never imagined I could have a reaction like this, and without the Kitt, I might not be here today."
Dr Helen Evans-Howells, a GP with a specialist interest in allergy, added: “Michelle’s story not only highlights the need for greater availability to life saving adrenaline pens, but also to the need for comprehensive allergy education. Whilst deaths from anaphylaxis are thankfully rare, with enhanced allergy knowledge and access to treatment, perhaps they could be completely avoided.”
Anaphylaxis is a severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction that can develop within minutes. It can be triggered by foods, insect stings, medications, or even unknown causes. In England, hospital admissions for allergies and anaphylaxis have more than doubled over the last two decades (gov.uk). Food-related anaphylaxis cases have seen an even higher rise (theguardian.com). Studies estimate that over 2 million people in the UK live with a diagnosed food allergy (thetimes.co.uk).
Kitt Medical’s Anaphylaxis Kitt is a life-saving solution designed to provide emergency adrenaline auto-injectors, training, and incident reporting for schools and qualifying businesses. It’s “Just like a defibrillator, but for allergies”. The Oaks Primary is part of the drb Ignite Multi Academy Trust, who signed up with Kitt Medical back in October 2023, installing Anaphylaxis Kitts across all 12 of their schools.
Since launching in January 2023 by Zak Marks, who lives with severe nut allergies, they now have 1,000 Anaphylaxis Kitts installed in schools and qualifying businesses across the UK. Alongside the Kitts, they provide an online CPD-accredited training course, which has been completed by over 16,000 members of staff. Their goal is to become every defibrillator’s next-door neighbour, creating a new standard for allergy care.
This is the 11th life-threatening allergic reaction that has been treated using Kitts, including a staff member in her late 40s who had her first-ever reaction to a ginger beer, and a young boy who experienced exercise-induced anaphylaxis after a run.
Co-founders Zak Marks and James Cohen featured on BBC’s Dragons’ Den in February 2025, gaining investment from Steven Bartlett and Deborah Meaden. Steven Bartlett commented on the recent life saved, adding:
“Kitt didn’t just create a product - they created a new standard of care for the millions of people suffering with allergies. This isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a life-saving essential. Stories like Michelle’s prove exactly why Kitt exists. Of all the investments I've made in Dragon's Den, I think this could prove to be the most important.”
"This incident highlights why accessible emergency adrenaline is so important," says Zak, who lives with severe allergies to nuts himself. "Allergic reactions can develop at any stage of life, even in people with no prior history. Immediate access to treatment can mean the difference between life and death."
