Fiance left devastated after 'irreplaceable' lover dies from dairy allergy after stirring tea with wrong spoon
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA: A heartbroken lover spoke about the "worst day of my life" after his fiancee died as a result of her acute dairy allergy while on a romantic holiday in South Africa. Craig McKinnon, 24, recounted of the "irreplaceable" time he spent with Jess Prinsloo, also 24.
"It’s difficult to find clarity in today, the worst day of my life", Craig wrote, according to The Sun. "But a point I have never been clearer on, the 3+ years I got with my Jess are irreplaceable, and I wouldn’t trade them for 60 years with any other person on earth. I am devastated, and feeling pain like I’ve never felt before, but anyone that spent time in her company knows what I mean when I say I have been blessed to call her my fiancée [for] the greatest three days of my life."
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It was a happy moment for the couple when Craig proposed her at God’s Window viewpoint in Mpumalanga on December 27. The marketing executive from Salisbury, Wiltshire, said yes and the pair celebrated for a number of days prior to traveling to her mother's house in Johannesburg on December 30. It was here Jess came into contact with milk and went into anaphylaxis, which is an allergic reaction where the throat closes up after using the wrong spoon to stir her tea. Tragically she died the following day in hospital.
In 2019, the couple met while they were at university in the UK and moved in together in 2021. “The look on her face… it meant everything", he told the Mirror. Jess updated the happy news on her social media accounts on the same day she received the proposal and was flooded with wishes from friends and family. It changed drastically as the following update on her Facebook page was to share the terrible news she was in a “critical condition” in hospital.
Craig said Jess was always careful managing her condition but her allergy medication reportedly failed to work during her reaction. Craig said, “When Jess died, a part of me died too – but there is no one to blame for her passing away.” He said he was woken up by her brother Darren who told him she was having a particularly bad reaction after her allergy medication “wasn’t having the effect it usually has”.
Despite their efforts, the doctors were not able to save her life. Jess had suffered from the allergy since she was nine months old, and had to be resuscitated after she came into contact with dairy in a curry when she was 18. “Another time, she ordered a vegan dessert which shouldn't have had dairy and she needed antihistamines, an EpiPen and a hospital trip. I haven't eaten dairy for about three years because it just wasn't worth the risk," Craig told the outlet. Craig was charged £3,700 ($4000) in medical bills and another £1,200 ($1400) for coroner fees after her death.
Craig and Jess’ family have set up a GoFundMe page to cover the costs and funeral expenses. “Our beautiful, fun loving Jess recently passed away on 31/12/2022," a statement on the page says. “Jess was an impeccable daughter, sister, niece, friend and most recently fiancé. She lit up every room she walked into and touched the lives of everyone she met. If you’ve ever met Jess you would probably know what her go to fun fact about herself is, she’s allergic to milk. While she was on the holiday of a lifetime in South Africa she experienced an allergic reaction. While at hospital Jess tried her best to pull through, she passed in peace late that night. All of the years we had Jess will get us through the years that we won’t."