Heartbroken Mother Speaks Out After Her Daughter, Lily King, 18, Dies During Holiday in Morocco

Lily King's mother did everything possible to protect her, and now, even in her loss, she is working to prevent others from experiencing the same pain.

A celebratory dinner during a family trip to Morocco turned tragic when 18-year-old Lily King suffered a fatal allergic reaction, leaving her devastated parents grieving a loss they believe could have been prevented.

Lily, an economics student at the University of Exeter, had travelled to Rabat in June 2024 with her mother, Aicha, to visit family and mark the end of her first year at university. Diagnosed in early childhood with severe allergies to fish and seafood, nuts, sesame, milk, and eggs, Lily's life had long been shaped by cautious routines and carefully planned meals.

Although she had managed her allergies throughout childhood with her inhaler, antihistamines, and two EpiPens, she had never experienced a reaction that required emergency hospital care, until January 2024.

While attending a music festival in Exeter, she suffered a sudden and severe reaction after eating a burger. It was a case of anaphylaxis, the most extreme form of allergic reaction, which causes rapid swelling of the throat and tongue, difficulty breathing, and can lead to a catastrophic drop in blood pressure and cardiac arrest.

First-aiders administered her EpiPen and called for an ambulance. She received additional adrenaline and IV fluids at the hospital. By the time her parents arrived after a three-hour drive from Buckinghamshire, Lily was recovering. The incident proved to be a critical turning point for the family, marking the moment they fully grasped the life-threatening nature of her allergies.

Already cautious, the experience made Lily and her parents even more vigilant. Hence, to minimize risk, Aicha packed an extra suitcase filled with safe foods, including baked beans, chocolate, and soya milk. She ensured her daughter wouldn't have to eat at restaurants during their five-day trip.

Furthermore, each morning, she prepared breakfast at her mother's house, then delivered it to the hotel, repeating the process again in the evening. They avoided hotel meals completely, with the exception of tea. "I was so, so careful with everything Lily ate," she said.

But on the final night of the trip, Lily insisted on going out to celebrate after receiving her exam results — she had earned top marks. The restaurant they chose was one they had visited safely before, including on Lily's 18th birthday.

Sadly, within an hour, everything changed. Lily took a single bite of her meal before her tongue began to itch. Despite taking an antihistamine and administering both of her EpiPens, her condition rapidly deteriorated. "My daughter was dancing in front of me one minute, and the next she'd gone," Aicha recalled.

The events that followed added to the family's anguish. Though both Aicha and Lily had explained her allergies to the waiter multiple times in Arabic, the meal arrived with unrequested vegetables and sauce. "I don't want to be killed," Lily had told the waiter. But when her mother protested, Lily tried to reassure her, "Don't be silly, Mum, it's just a carrot."

Lily's reaction progressed quickly after taking a bite. As Aicha stepped back into the restaurant to retrieve her bag, the waiter delayed her, insisting she pay the bill. By the time she returned outside, Lily was struggling to breathe. "You know Mum, I love you. I'm sorry. Goodbye," she said, collapsing in her mother's arms.

With no ambulance in sight, Lily's cousins rushed her to the hospital themselves. There, the nightmare continued when a doctor refused to provide further treatment until Aicha wrote a cheque. "I said take my bank cards, just save my daughter," she recounted.

Despite CPR attempts, Lily had stopped breathing en route to the hospital, having had a cardiac arrest. A brain scan later confirmed there was no activity. On June 23, four days after the reaction, Aicha and Lily's father, Michael, made the agonizing decision to withdraw life support.

"We stopped the medication that was keeping her heart beating and watched her drift away," Michael noted. The couple returned to the UK two weeks later with their daughter's body.

Since then, Aicha has visited Lily's grave every day, clinging to memories and the clothing Lily once wore. "My daughter was my best friend, my everything. Without her, our life is nothing," she mourned.

"We had 18 beautiful years with Lily. Never in our wildest dreams did we think we would lose her like this," Michael added.

Both parents insist Lily "was killed" and are calling for the restaurant to be prosecuted and shut down. Though an investigation by the public prosecutor was launched, no legal action has been taken so far.

They are determined to seek justice, not just for Lily, but as a warning to others about the dangers of travelling with life-threatening allergies to countries where food safety standards and legal protections may differ.

The Kings struggle to access urgent medical care after Lily's reaction has drawn comparisons to the case of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, who died in France on July 17, 2016. Natasha ate a Pret A Manger baguette containing sesame seeds, which had not been listed on the label and suffered a severe allergic reaction on a British Airways flight.

In response to their daughter's death, Natasha's parents, Nadim and Tanya, established The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation in 2019 to advance research aimed at preventing and treating food allergies.

In honour of Lily, the Kings contributed $11,500 raised during her funeral to support the foundation's work. One year after Lily's death, the foundation shared a tribute highlighting the precautions the family had taken.

"Her mother Aicha spoke the language in Morocco and they chose the restaurant where they had eaten safely before. They flagged Lily’s allergies as they had before, Lily carried her allergy medications with her and they were administered at the right time - yet on this occasion, everything went dreadfully wrong," the foundation pointed out.

Therefore, following the inquest into Lily’s death, held on 16 June, her parents are calling for increased awareness of the difficulties people with food allergies face when travelling abroad.

Lily's parents said, "Russian Roulette is currently being played when someone with a food allergy goes to a restaurant in another country. We share our story in the hope that stronger international standards and awareness can prevent such a tragedy from happening to another family."

Aicha and Michael are mourning the loss of their daughter, but even in their grief, they remain committed to helping others. They believe it's vital for anyone travelling with allergies to understand just how quickly life can change — and how essential it is to stay alert, informed, and prepared.