Bride dies of 'extreme shock' triggered by nut allergy while eating dessert on her wedding day at royal palace
What was supposed to be the happiest day of a Russian bride's life turned tragic after she suffered an anaphylactic shock believed to have been triggered by a nut allergy. Alexandra Erokhova, 25, was celebrating her wedding reception at the Tsaritsyno Palace in Moscow, which was built in 1776 by the order of Catherine the Great, Russia's longest-ruling female leader when the horrific incident unfolded.
Erokhova is said to have had an "extreme reaction when she was eating dessert at the meal immediately following her nuptials, according to a report. Shocked guests rushed to the bride's aid as she "began to suffocate at the table" but could do little. They called for an ambulance to the banquet hall, but a resuscitation team was ultimately "unable to save the bride," Russian reports said. Doctors later determined she had suffered an "anaphylactic shock" that they said had been caused by a nut allergy.
Those assertions were seemingly confirmed by the 25-year-old's family, who revealed she had suffered from a nut allergy since childhood. They said they had warned the cooks at the venue in advance about her dietary restrictions. Reports later claimed that the sweet dish she ate did contain nuts, though it was not specified which type they had been.
Erokhova had studied banking and finance at the elite Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration in Moscow, with police now understood to be investigating her death.
Allergens that trigger allergies cause the body's immune system to produce antibodies that are used to neutralize pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. These antibodies cause inflammatory reactions and release a chemical called histamine, which is responsible for causing hives, hay fever, and other symptoms commonly associated with allergies.
An anaphylactic shock, as in Erokhova's case, is a severe allergic reaction that's accompanied by itchy mouth, tongue, throat, swelling of the area around the lips, eyes, or face, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, and can often be life-threatening without treatment.
MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) previously reported about a similar story where a young Texas couple's fairytale wedding was tragically cut short after a helicopter carrying them crashed into a hill hours after the ceremony.
Will Byler and Bailee Ackerman, both seniors at Sam Houston State University, died in November 2018 after their nuptials at the former's family ranch in Uvalde, Texas. Shortly after the accident, multiple search units, including the Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, game wardens, Border Patrol agents, the Uvalde Volunteer Fire Department, and Uvalde Emergency Medical Services, were dispatched to the scene.
The bride's maid of honor, Jessica Stilley, later paid a heartbreaking tribute to her best friend. "My sweet Bailee Raye, my heart is broken in a million little pieces as I sit here and think of the rest of my life without my best friend," she said. "I'm so sad to even be captioning these pictures with this, but you know I just have to share with everyone how beautiful you looked on your wedding day like I normally would have."