OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A Mishicot family whose teenage son died from an allergic reaction to a bee sting is continuing to turn tragedy into opportunity.
UW-Oshkosh nursing students and faculty members gathered Monday for “Do It for Dillon” epinephrine training.
Angel and George Mueller founded the Dillon Mueller Memorial Fund in 2015, one year after their son’s tragic death. Since then, more than 5,000 people have completed the Muellers’ no-cost certification program that trains and authorizes individuals to carry epinephrine and administer it to anyone in need.
So far, 15 lives have been saved as a result of the Muellers’ course in EpiPen use.
“That’s the best feeling there is. I mean, it sucks as far as why we’re doing it, because of Dillon passing away, but to help somebody else, it’s a great thing. Hopefully we can do more,” said George.
“The training is easy. We do it for free. Basically, you need to know the signs of what’s happening to somebody because you can become allergic to anything at anytime. It can be bee stings, seafood, medicines — anything can cause you to go into anaphylaxis,” George explained.
In 2014, 18-year-old Dillon was outside helping a friend with yard work when he was stung by a bee. Within minutes of asking his friend to call 911, Dillon went unconscious.
Unbeknownst to the Muellers, Dillon had anundiagnosed allergy to bee venom, and volunteer first responders did not have epinephrine. Dillon died after one week ofartificial cardiopulmonary support.
“We didn’t know he was allergic, so we didn’t have a clue on needing to have EpiPens. So we just thought, after that, it’s just senseless. They’re easy to use, easy to get. A little bit of training, you can carry them and use them on anybody,” George said.
Following his death, Dillon’s parents decided to do everything they could to prevent what happened to their son from happening to any other family.
The Muellers’ mission is to raise awareness that anaphylaxis — a sudden and possibly deadly allergic reaction — can happen anytime, anywhere, and that early treatment with epinephrine can be life-saving.
This led to the creation of Dillon’s Law, which allows trained individuals to carry and administer epinephrine auto-injectors. Currently, Dillon’s Law is in effect in Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana, but the Muellers hope to continue to expand it nationwide.
UW-Oshkosh’s College of Nursing joins the thousands of Wisconsin residents and groups who are becoming trained in the use of EpiPens — and keeping the medication on hand, should a need for it arise. 32 studentsparticipated in the first of two training sessions offered at the university earlier this month.
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