Woman, 22, almost dies after ice cream on holiday left her struggling to breathe

Annika Larson was on holiday with her mum in Rome, Italy, when she began struggling to breathe. She was taken to hospital where doctors fought to save her life

A tourist nearly died after eating ice cream while on holiday after suffering a severe allergic reaction.

Annika Larson was on holiday in Rome, Italy, on September 28 when she went into anaphylactic shock after eating gelato at a cafe while on a group tour in the late afternoon.

The 22-year-old has a severe nut allergy and claims she was told that the gelato – in flavours chocolate and lemon with turmeric – were made with raw ingredients and was nut free.

After struggling to breathe and suffering from face swelling, Annika used her EpiPen and was rushed to hospital in an ambulance.

She says doctors fought tirelessly to save her life and is thankful to have made it through.

Annika, from Texas, US, said: “I’m allergic to all nuts and after doing research, I believe the gelato contained cashews and almond paste.

“At the time, I was told it was raw gelato meaning it was made with fruit, chocolate and water with no added ingredients.

“I asked if the gelato contained nuts and the staff told me it didn’t.

“Just a few minutes after eating it, I felt my tongue and throat starting to tingle and as time went on, my eye began swelling, along with my lips and I had to use my EpiPen.

“The ambulance rushed me to hospital and I was classed as a code red which was the highest level of urgency.

“Once I got to the hospital, I passed out and woke up thinking I was dying.

“If I didn’t have my EpiPen, I would have died and I think food establishments need to label their food more clearly”.

Annika arrived in Rome last Monday after spending time travelling around Europe with her mother.

While on a tour exploring the popular city, Annika says the group stopped off at Grezzo Raw Chocolate to try some of the local gelato.

Annika said: “I ate the gelato at around 4:48pm and had the first reaction 10 minutes later.

“I was told the gelato was vegan which should have been a red flag for me as vegan products are often made with nuts.

“I went straight to a pharmacy and took an antihistamine but it kept getting worse.

“We got in a taxi back to the Airbnb where I called my doctor and he told me I had to use my EpiPen – I was scared to do this as I knew it meant I’d have to go to a hospital.

“We went back to the pharmacy and they did it for me and called an ambulance.

“The EpiPen helped me breathe better but the reaction was still ongoing.

“I was in the hospital from 6:30pm until midnight when I was discharged.”

Annika wants to fight for more regulations around food labels and transparency with ingredients.

She added: “This could have killed me if I hadn’t acted quickly.

“It would be helpful for people suffering from allergies if food establishments labelled their food.

“Natasha’s Law should be worldwide – I’ve been to lots of places before where I’ve told them I have an allergy and they don’t know what’s in their own food.

“It does scare me and I know it’ll happen again.

“I’m usually good at keeping on top of it but when something is labelled incorrectly, there isn’t much I can do”.

The Mirror has contacted Grezzo Raw Chocolate for comment.