Mum’s struggle to keep son safe
Even a single drop of milk can cause massive welts to break out over Marimgai’s body.
It means keeping the 6-year-old safe is a daily struggle for Blenheim mother Nadia Mason.
At home, a potentially lifesaving shot of adrenaline is always kept on hand.
But at $200 a shot, the Epipen auto-injectors are a financial burden for Mason and her family, who have no choice but to get them on account.
Mason is calling for the Government to introduce a subsidy and help ease the financial hardship on thousands of families across New Zealand.
Epipens have been on Pharmac’s waiting list for more than 12 years, the longest wait time of any medication in New Zealand.
Mason said Marimgai had suffered severe allergies since he was a baby. He was allergic to the animal proteins in milk, dairy products, peanuts, red potatoes, peas and dust mites.
Marimgai’s life could depend on him getting a dose of adrenaline within five minutes of going into anaphylactic shock.
At school, another Epipen is stored for emergencies.
Within three weeks of him starting school, staff had to use the Epipen and call an ambulance as he struggled for breath and his lips turned blue.
The family also carried tiny phials of adrenaline and syringes with them in the car just in case, as they could not afford a third Epipen. ‘‘He’s needed an Epipen since he was 2-years-old and now he’s at school, I have to keep one there too and they expire quite quickly,’’ Mason said.
‘‘It’s pretty full on. I’d hate to have to use the ampoules as you have to carefully break them, use a syringe and draw-up the exact amount and then give it to him; all in a huge hurry and under stress.
‘‘There’s no way I’d expect staff at the school to have to do that.‘‘
Anaphylactic shock causes blood pressure to suddenly drop and airways to narrow. If not treated immediately, it could result in serious complications and even be fatal.
Mason said she would like to see Pharmac step in and subsidise the automatic injector pen rather than the ampoules they currently fund.
‘‘Subsidising the Epipen would make a massive difference, not just to us, but to all the other families out there who go through this.
‘‘We already pay for special foods, dressings and allergy protectants. We’re very lucky that the pharmacy will let us put the Epipens on account, but what about those who don’t have that support?’’ Mason said.
Pharmac’s acting director of operations James Harris said the company was in close contact with potential suppliers of adrenaline auto-injectors, with the objective of negotiating an affordable longterm funding agreement.