‘George wants his photo to be seen,’ says mum in warning to all parents after snack left her son unable to walk or talk

GEORGE Cadman-Ithell still laughs in all the right places when watching his favourite comedy, Peep Show.

The 25-year-old has been a fan of the cult sitcom classic since his teen years, when he would watch it with his sister.

Now he watches it from his hospital bed, often with his mum, Louise, 56, by his side.

Once witty, chatty and full of life, George now has severe brain damage after going into anaphylaxis following an allergic reaction.

Last September, he unknowingly ate some sausages with nuts in them.

His heart stopped for 26 minutes – the last text he sent to his mum was “F***, these contain nuts.”

Starved of oxygen, the University College London graduate’s life was changed forever.

Now, former bank manager Louise, from Upminster, East London, is taking this Allergy Awareness Week to show The Sun the very first picture of George since his life tragically changed.

Despite the fact George can’t speak, eat, drink or walk, he can communicate yes or no using his thumbs intermittently.

“He indicated he wanted this picture to be seen,” says the brave mum.

While 2.4 million people in the UK have a food allergy, hospital admissions from anaphylaxis – the most severe type of reaction – have tripled in the last 20 years.

Admissions in England are up 27 per cent in the last 12 months alone.

Louise has bravely decided – along with George – to show the reality of allergies and highlight the fact that no matter how frequent an allergic reaction is, the next one could be fatal.

The family, including siblings Alex, 32, Joe, 23 and Lily, 19, were told twice in January this year that George wouldn’t survive the night after contracting pneumonia.

“None of us have any idea what his future looks like or how long he’ll be with us,” Louise says.

“We’ve already nearly lost him and have been told he might not survive more than three years.”

George has been allergic to nuts since he was five years old.

Louise says: “He was able to manage his allergy throughout his childhood and teenage years and until last year he only ever needed liquid Piriton if he happened to eat any nuts.

We’ve already nearly lost him and have been told he might not survive more than three years

Mum Louise

“He’d be poorly and sick but nothing worse than a two-hour issue.

“Yes he had an EpiPen but he didn’t always have it with him because his reactions were never enough to warrant using it.”

But Louise believes George was preoccupied when he ate the French saucisson that almost ended his life because he was packing to move house in Sidcup, Kent.

“We’d been messaging about his packing,” says Louise.

“I knew he was at the shops and had bought something to snack on.

“He messaged me saying they were nice before I got another text saying ‘F***, these contain nuts’.”

“I asked him ‘You’ve not eaten any have you?’ He replied ‘Yes’.”

‘Reaction could be fatal’

It was then that George’s phone went dead, he stopped replying to messages and didn’t answer when his mum called.

“I turned to his dad, Tony [a printer, 56] and said I knew something had happened,” recalls Louise.

“We started driving from Essex to Kent where he lived.”

By the time they got there, paramedics were on the scene.

George’s heart had stopped for 26 minutes after he went into anaphylactic shock.

Panicked by having consumed nuts and without his Epi pen with him, George had run home to get it – administering two doses which was too little, too late.

He wasn’t to know but spiking his heart rate with a run was the worst thing he could have done for anaphylaxis.

During anaphylaxis, blood pressure drops leading to shock, unconsciousness and a heart attack – which is what happened with George.

Louise says: “He ran home thinking he was doing the right thing but if he’d laid down in the shop and insisted they called an ambulance my beautiful, vibrant, smart and talented son would still be like he was.”

When he got home George collapsed and while paramedics tried in vain to revive him, performing CPR, his brain was starved of oxygen for almost half an hour.

“When they managed to get his heart started he was sent to the Princess Royal Orpington hospital,” says Louise.

“We were told rehabilitation wasn’t an option and that we should withdraw his feeding tube so he could pass away peacefully.

“We were told it was a matter of time before he died from an infection and that he’d never get any better.”

We were told it was a matter of time before he died from an infection and that he’d never get any better

Mum Louise

After being transferred to Northwick Park in October, George contracted pneumonia in January and Louise and his family were told to say goodbye, that he wouldn’t last the night.

“They didn’t know George though,” says Louise proudly.

“He came through and has recently been transferred to Putney and is now at the Royal Hospital for Neuro Disability.

“He’s come such a long way in the six months and that’s without much rehabilitation.

“They said he had global brain damage, that he’d never be able to communicate, but he can.

“He smiled for the first time since it happened in February, he laughs at his favourite TV shows in the right places.

“He can communicate intermittently with yes or no, he can’t talk or eat but he has sporadic limb control, he can squeeze my hand.

“It’s incredible how far he’s come and I know he can do so much more.

“I know my vibrant son won’t ever be the same again but I know he can have a quality of life and a future.

“He loved an occasional gin and tonic or a glass of red wine, I want him to be able to enjoy the simple things again.”

George’s allergy was manageable his whole life until it wasn’t anymore

Mum Louise

Louise travels for around five hours every day to be with George during the midday to eight o’clock visiting times.

Once home she calls to check he’s sleeping at both 1am and 5am.

While Louise is helping to care for George, she’s being supported by Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse, whose daughter Natasha died in July 2016 from an allergic reaction to a Pret A Manger sandwich.

The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation was started in her memory and funds trials to cure allergies and bursaries for medics who want to work in the speciality.

“I reached out soon after George’s reaction and they’ve been incredible,” says Louise.

“When we were told George was going to die in January, Tanya was at the hospital within an hour right by my side.

“They’ve been so supportive and helpful.”

Louise says George would want people to know his story in the hopes it helps someone else.

“He’d be so cross with himself for making the mistake of eating nuts,” says Louise.

“He was preoccupied and busy with moving house though, he didn’t think.

“But even when it happened he presumed it’d be like the other times, a bit of sickness, some antihistamines and he’d be fine the next day.

“George’s allergy was manageable his whole life until it wasn’t anymore.

“One single reaction amid plenty of others that were fairly harmless.

“George is proof that no matter how low level you think your allergies are, or how manageable they’ve been in the past, the next reaction could be fatal.”