A HEARTBROKEN brother had just seconds to tell his sister goodbye during a harrowing call after she ate a Pret sandwich.
Natasha Ednan-Laperouse was just 15 years old when sesame seeds baked into a baguette from the restaurant giant sent her into anaphylactic shock and killed her.
Alex was 13 years old when Natasha died[/caption]
The teen from Fulham, west London, ate the Pret A Manger artichoke, olive and tapenade sandwich she bought at Heathrow Airport not knowing it contained sesame.
She died of anaphylaxis after collapsing on board a flight to Nice, France, on July 17, 2016.
Her brother, who was 13 at the time of the tragedy, has since recalled his last seconds with Natasha.
Alex Ednan-Laperouse, now 21, received a call from his dad telling him to say goodbye to Natasha who at this point was in a French hospital.
The politics and philosophy uni student told The Times: “It was so unexpected, because I was so adamant that she would survive and would be OK.
“I remember having very little time, saying, ‘I love you, Tash. You’ve been an amazing sister to me. Thank you so much for everything’.
“And the phone call ended and I ran upstairs into a room by myself, and I just cried. I cried for hours.”
Natasha had dealt with allergic reactions prior to her death – but sadly couldn’t get the medical care she needed thousands of feet up in the air.
Legislation at the time did not require food made on the premises to display allergen advice on labels.
Under Natasha’s Law all food businesses are now required to include full ingredients labelling on pre-packaged food.
This was brought in in 2021 after Natasha’s parents campaigned tirelessly in the hopes of saving lives.
Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse previously said they were “absolutely delighted” by the move to full allergen and ingredient labelling.
They said: “While Natasha’s Law comes too late to save our beloved daughter, we believe that helping save other allergy sufferers and their families from the enduring agony that we will always bear is a fitting legacy for her life.”
In that same year, Tanya and Nadim were awarded OBEs in the New Year Honours List for their efforts in changing the law.
I can’t breathe, I’m suffocating, help me Daddy.
Natasha’s last words
Her dad said at the time: “These are Tashi’s OBEs. This is all for her.
“When you lose a child, it’s like a bomb goes off. It blasts a hole in your life. The shrapnel from your grief affects everyone around you.
“This happened when Natasha died. We just have to spend the rest of our lives navigating around the crater the bomb of her death created.
“We think, ‘Would Tashi want us to fall off the face of the Earth into grief or do something to make something of her death?’.
“She wanted to try to help the world so we’re going to try to do it for her.”
Natasha’s last words were “I can’t breathe, I’m suffocating, help me Daddy,” before she suffered a fatal heart attack.
Nadim added: “It’s very hard to ever come to terms with but I’ve had to find a way through.
“It happened on my watch. We would die a thousand deaths to have Natasha back.
“Shortly after she died I had the strangest experience. I was not in any way religious but I saw five angels.
“I realised later it was a reassurance that Natasha had gone to heaven and was waiting for me.
“Maybe if I had not seen them I could have ended it all. It kept me on the planet.”
Nadim finally came to terms with not being able to save his daughter after “18 months of grief and anger”.
He said: “I was furious with everyone. All kinds of questions were going around in my head.
“I was swearing a lot. I was in shock, pain and living in a zombie-fied world.
“I remember going into her room and opening the carry-on suitcase she had packed for that trip for the first time and breaking down.
“I was asking myself what I could have done differently and if there was anything more I could have done. That lasted for about 18 months.”
Tanya added: “His misery was so strong. We focused on our son Alex, we had to be strong and there was never any blame. We both loved Natasha and did our very best for her. We stuck together and tried to get through.
“Natasha was a serious allergy sufferer. Ever since the age of four we’d been on high alert at birthday parties as dairy and nuts would give her reactions.
“She’d even get a reaction if someone was wearing perfume. She always checked labels and would never have picked up the baguette if she had any inkling it contained sesame.”
