The 51-year-old had only moments left to tell her beautiful little girl she loved her after allergic reaction
THE mum of a teen killed by a Pret sandwich has told how she had to say goodbye in a heartbreaking phone call.
Tanya Ednan-Laperouse was racing to get to Natasha, 15, in hospital when hubby Nadim rang to say their daughter had two minutes to live.
Tanya, 51, said: “He told me, “You’ve got to say goodbye now.’
“Don’t lose time. She’s going to die any minute. Say something. She might hear it. The phone is by her ear.’
“I said, ‘Tashi I love you so much, darling. I’ll be with you soon. I’ll be with you.”
“‘When you’ve got children, you don’t want them to be without you, do you? They haven’t flown the nest.
They still need you.
“I fell to the ground. I couldn’t talk, I was engulfed with grief. I knew then she was gone.’”
Natasha died from a reaction to sesame seeds in a £3.45 artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette bought at a Heathrow Pret.
The meal had no allergy warning on its packaging.
Natasha fell ill on a British Airways flight as she, Nadim and a pal headed for a break in the south of France in July 2016. She died in hospital in Nice.
At last week’s inquest coroner Sean Cummings slammed Pret for failing to alert customers to potentially fatal allergens.
Pret was warned nine times about the dangers of sesame in its artisan baguettes in the year before Natasha died.
Toy firm director Tanya, from Fulham, West London, said of the firm: “They screwed up, yes. Now they have the opportunity to do something good. They could lobby for a change to our labelling laws.
“We know Natasha didn’t die on our watch. She died on Pret’s watch, all thanks to the absence of two little words.
“If the label had listed ‘sesame seeds’ Natasha wouldn’t have touched it and she’d still be alive.
“Nadim trusted Natasha knew what to look for.”
For dad Nadim the moment they made that choice is replayed over and over in his mind.
And the memory brings him to tears. He said: “I hate myself. I blame myself. I really love my daughter, in a way that’s like one flesh.
“As a parent I’d die a thousand times, crucified, for her to live.
“I spent 15 years nurturing the most precious thing in my life. As a human being, there’s nothing more important than that.
“In that moment, how could it be that I failed her? I will live with that until I die, but so it is.
“I’m so glad it wasn’t Tanya’s watch because I don’t think she could have taken it’.” Mum Tanya was at home when she got the call at 9.30am.
She said: “Nad was crying and said, ‘Tanya you’ve got to come out here. Natasha’s not well. Something terrible has happened.’ Initially I thought, it’s not that bad, I wanted reassurance. But Nad was saying, ‘Start looking for flights. It’s really bad.’
“I was praying. Please God, don’t take her from me.”
As Natasha was taken to Nice hospital, Tanya raced to Stansted. She said: “The lady at check-in said, I’m sorry, the flight’s full.
“I said, ‘You’ve got to get me to France, my daughter’s dying.
“Then, we were told there was a delay for six hours. I was constantly crying. Then I got the call from Nad to say she was going to die within two minutes and I had to say goodbye. And I did.
“I had to just sit there and wait, knowing this was all unfolding.
“I couldn’t howl, scream or cry as I was surrounded by families. I got on the plane. Tears were falling the whole time.
SANDWICH giants are continuing to exploit a legal loophole allowing them to dodge displaying allergens on food packets, a Sun on Sunday investigation found.
Freshly prepared items at London branches of Greggs, EAT and fast food chains Wasabi and itsu had no allergy warnings on them.
Even Pret a Manger is still using the loophole, with no warnings on packets. The law says that when food is prepared onsite, ingredient labelling is not necessary.
It is designed to protect small, independent stores.
At the busy shops we investigated – EAT, Pret, Wasabi and itsu at Canary Wharf Shopping Mall in East London – allergy information signs were in cabinets, urging customers to ask.
But at Greggs in Chrisp Street Market no signs were visible — despite assurances from chiefs that allergy signs were there.
Every shop we visited failed to feature any information on packaging for food made in-house.
“It’s hard to explain, but it was on the flight I felt this overwhelming sense of sympathy for Nad.
That he needed my love and understanding. I knew how much he loved Natasha. I felt so much of his pain with mine.”
Nadim added: “The last thing she ever said was “Daddy, Daddy, help me. I can’t breathe.” I held her and kept talking to her. Minutes later she was gone.’ Nadim, who is considering suing Pret, added: “I spent a year on the sofa. I wrote two suicide letters. I felt it was so unfair.
“We haven’t touched her room. Her clothes are still on the floor.
“I still look for her on the street, in public places. Adidas trainers, long dark hair in a bun. I look but she’s just lost. You don’t know how you carry on living.”
IT is disgraceful that major food stores are exploiting a legal loophole to avoid showing ingredients on packaging.
Teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse’s death should serve as a warning of how dangerous this practice is.
The law states that when food is prepared onsite, ingredients labelling is not necessary. It is designed to protect small, independent stores. But our investigation today reveals large chains have not learnt from this avoidable tragedy.
Pret a Manger was warned nine times about the dangers of sesame seed in its artisan baguettes and yet it continues to sell items without allergy warnings.
Now Natasha’s mother Tanya has challenged the chain to lobby for a change in our labelling laws.
And, hopefully, stop other parents having to suffer such a terrible loss.
