Andrea Mariano, Queen's University student, dies of severe allergic reaction
Teen was allergic to peanuts and dairy and had just started 1st year at Kingston, Ont., university
A first-year student died from a severe allergic reaction during the first week of classes at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.
Andrea Mariano, 18, from Thornhill, Ont., died at the Kingston General Hospital on Sept. 18 from an anaphylactic allergic reaction, the university said in a statement issued Monday.
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"I would like to express my deepest condolences to Andrea's family on behalf of the Queen's community," principal Daniel Woolf said. "We are saddened by the loss of this promising young woman."
According to her Facebook profile, Mariano graduated from St. Elizabeth Catholic High School this year and started studying at Queen's this fall.
An online memorial has been set up in her honour.
Mariano's family told Global News she was allergic to peanuts and dairy.
The advocacy group Food Allergy Canada offered its condolences on Facebook. The group says some 2.5 million Canadians, including 300,000 under 18, have at least one food allergy.
Queen's has lowered its flags to half-mast and is planning an on-campus memorial service for Mariano at a later date.