Toddler dies after being given toasted cheese sandwich at preschool
New York City officials are investigating the death of a toddler whose family said had an allergic reaction to the toasted cheese sandwich a preschool employer allegedly fed him.
Three-year-old Elijah was at the Seventh Avenue Centre for Family Services in New York's suburb of Harlem when a supervising adult allegedly gave him a toasted cheese sandwich.
A GoFundMe page set up after the young boys death claims the supervisor was aware of the allergy.
'Despite them knowing and having documented that he has a severe allergy to dairy,' the page says.
The New York City Fire Department confirmed there was no 911 call from the preschool during the time of the boy’s emergency. Instead, the school called Elijah’s mother, who took him to the hospital, the family said.
Christopher Miller, a spokesman for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, told ABC News: 'There is nothing more important than the safety of our children and we are deeply saddened by this tragedy.'
Miller continued, 'We will get to the bottom of what happened here. In the meantime, we closed the Center for Family Services and continuing to aggressively investigate what happened and whether the facility could have done something differently to prevent this tragedy.'
Elijah went into 'anaphylactic shock' and was rushed to the pediatric emergency room at Harlem Hospital Center where he died, according to the GoFundMe page posted Tuesday.
The boy is survived by his 'heartbroken mother, Dina, father, Thomas, and his 5-year-old brother, Sebastian,' according to the page, which has raised nearly $20,000 by 325 donors in two days.
The money will help alleviate funeral and medical expenses, pay for family therapy and cover the cost of a 'second and independent autopsy,' the page says.
Our thoughts are with Elijah's family and friends in this difficult time.
