Eight years after 13-year-old Karanbir Cheema’s death, his mother Rina is still sharing his story — and her message: allergies are no joke.
On June 28, 2017, a classmate at Karanbir’s London school tossed a piece of cheese that touched his neck. Karan, who had severe dairy allergies, went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to hospital. Despite medical efforts, he died days later from post-cardiac arrest syndrome.
Karan had an EpiPen, but the only one available was nearly a year expired and likely less effective. Experts later said earlier treatment might have made a difference.
Rina made the painful decision to turn off his life support two weeks later. “We didn’t want to switch it off – but his body had been through enough,” she said in an interview. “He smiled when the machine was turned off.”
At the inquest, the boys involved testified they didn’t know about Karan’s allergy. The coroner called their actions “childish and thoughtless,” not malicious — but also criticized the school for failing to educate students about allergy risks.
Since then, Rina has worked to raise awareness, sharing Karan’s story and even hospital photos to highlight how serious allergies can be. “He begged for help: ‘Please help me or I’m going to die.’ That says it all,” she said.
Karan’s father, Amerjeet, added: “His death left a hole that will never be filled. We just hope it brings change.”