Aly West’s story — The tragic allergy that took her young life
Alyssa “Aly” West was a high school graduate (class of 2022) of the Huntington Christian School in Orange County, California. As a Model United Nations debater, cheer captain, and dancer, she was – by all means – a high achieving student in every aspect of the way.
Unfortunately, her young life came to an abrupt end on February 1, 2023, after she suffered an extreme anaphylactic allergic reaction to a food she consumed. Reports conflict as to where the accident took place, some say it occurred at the school’s winter formal dance while others say that the allergy was triggered before the event.
Aly West was put on life support after a severe allergic response – She passed away after four days
On the evening of January 28, 2023, Aly West had a severe nut allergic reaction while attending her school’s winter formal. Her condition was so critical that she was administered CPR before being admitted to a nearby local hospital.
She was eventually transferred to the far advanced Children’s Hospital of Orange County and put on life support. Unprepared for the financial load placed by the medical bills, her family organized a GoFundMe on January 31 and raised nearly $150,000 for Aly’s treatment.
However, her body was deprived of oxygen for too long, and could not make it out alive. Aly passed away the very next day. Her parents, Liza and Jake West, announced the news to the donators in an update posted on the GoFundMe page. It said:
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beautiful and loving daughter, Aly, as she went home to be with our heavenly Father. Aly was the center of our world and the light of our lives. We are lost without her. If anything becomes of Aly’s tragic nut allergic reaction, the one thing she would want is for everyone to come together.”
The Huntington Christian School made a tribute post to Aly on their Instagram page. They sympathized with Aly’s family and redirected the affected students and staff to counseling resources, writing that it is difficult to “process such a tragedy”.
In honor of Aly and her family, the school also planned to take a photo of all the students on February 3. The closing remarks of the post read:
“Aly’s favorite color is purple, so students may choose to wear shirts in purple or white on Friday. We will take a photo in the shape of a giant heart!”
