Star athlete eats Thanksgiving cake; hours later he’s lifeless in his dad’s arms

Oakley loved tennis, football, soccer and was also a marathon runner despite suffering asthma and nut allergies. His family described him as a “brave and strong warrior” in battling these diseases.

On November 24 Oakley decided to enjoy a piece of the pound cake which had been left out on the kitchen table where they were staying in Maine. His mom Merrill Debbs said Oakley always had to check labels before he ate anything and didn’t see any signs of nuts.

“He thought it was just a piece of cake,” said his father, Robert Debbs. “But when he ate it, he come over and said it might have contained nuts.” After his mother tried some, she agreed it had a nut flavor, which was later determined to be walnut.

“Merrill did what we usually do, she gave him Benadryl [pills],” said Robert. “And he came back and said he felt fine.” At that point, his only symptom was a single hive on his lip.

But, shortly after Oakley complained of pains in his chest, then he started vomiting. His parents called 911 but when the ambulance arrived, 10 minutes later, he was blue. Oakley’s airwaves had closed and his heart had stopped beating.

I am writing on behalf of Robert J. Debbs Merrill Debbs and Oakley’s twin sister, Olivia. It is with a heavy heart I…

Posted by Tyler Debbs Squire on Saturday, November 26, 2016

The family then had to come to terms with such a tragic loss and understand why Oakley couldn’t be saved.

“I don’t think my beautiful, amazing, talented, adorable son should have passed away,” said Merrill.

The family started the Red Sneaker Foundation which educates people on recognizing the signs of anaphylaxis, the acute multiorgan life-threatening reaction to allergens.

Related Posts

House Approves ‘Take It Down’ Act to Combat Deepfake Revenge Imagery

The House passed the Take It Down Act 409–2, criminalizing nonconsensual AI-generated sexual content. The law targets deepfake porn, requiring platforms to remove flagged content within 72…

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes Flips on Free Speech: From Backing Tucker Carlson’s Firing to Defending Jimmy Kimmel

Media hypocrisy is once again under the spotlight as Chris Hayes of MSNBC faces backlash for his shifting stance on free speech. Hayes, who once applauded Fox…

House Approves ‘Take It Down’ Act to Combat Deepfake Revenge Imagery

The House passed the Take It Down Act 409–2, criminalizing nonconsensual AI-generated sexual content. The law targets deepfake porn, requiring platforms to remove flagged content within 72…

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker takes aim at Trump with jaw-dropping accusation

Donald Trump is running his own race in Illinois after deploying Texas National Guard troops during the anti-immigration protests. Everyone isn’t happy about it, and one of…

Grandma reveals what she looked like before full body tattoos

Many people like to get body modifications such as tattoos to express their individuality. However, some people are completely against these kinds of things. Kerstin Tristan was…

Lion dad meets baby son for the very first time and the reaction is priceless

It’s not only in the human world that parents harbor a great love for their children – wild animals can feel very strongly for their offspring too….