January 28, 2018
WPTV Channel 5
A local 11-year-old boy who died from anaphylactic shock from a nut allergy was remembered Sunday at an event held at Rosarian Academy.
The school hosted a family fun night in honor of Oakley Debbs, who died in November 2016 after eating a slice of cake made with walnut extract.
He was in fifth grade when he died.
At Sunday’s event, more than a hundred children and their families enjoyed inflatable rides and carnival-type food.
“We’re a year later and we’ve started things like school initiative plans, education plans, but we’re trying to get epinephrine into the school system and education about food allergies and understanding what anaphylactic shock is,” said Merrill Debbs, Oakley’s mother.
The Facebook page “Red Sneakers for Oakley” has 10,000 followers and the non-profit uses social media to inform people about food allergies.
