Mum of boy who died after eating popcorn hopes to stop more ‘terrible losses’

Judith Bousquet has launched Judith’s Wish to stop more allergy related deaths after her son, Rube, died (Picture: Twitter/Judith Bousquet)

A mum whose 14-year-old son died after eating popcorn has launched an allergy campaign to stop others from ‘experiencing this pain’.

Ruben Bousquet died in 2019 after he ate some popcorn at the cinema which contained traces of dairy.

He started to feel unwell not long into the 8.30pm screening and was rushed back home to Balham to get his EpiPen, which he had left behind.

Ambulance crews arrived soon after and took over resuscitation before taking him to Evelina Children’s Hospital in central London where he later passed away.

His mum, Judith Bousquet, from Lewisham, is now urging for better labelling on food and drinks through her campaign, Judith’s Wish.

She said: ‘Ruben was our son, a brother, a hockey player. He loved life, this shouldn’t have happened to him.

‘This shouldn’t happen to anyone’s child. We live with this every day, and we don’t want any other family to experience this pain or this loss.’

Ruben was a talented hockey player and ‘loved life’ (Picture: Just Giving)

The campaign was launched by charity Allergy UK.

‘My wish is for better testing and labelling of food and dink products, so no other family experiences what we have gone through.

‘That is why this campaign with Allergy UK is so important.’

The opening event featured a carol concert in Christ Church, Petts Wood, with songs sung by the Military Wives Choir.

Ruben’s mum is now campaigning for better allergy labelling and testing (Picture: Just Giving)

A poem, written by Ruben, called ‘Hope Still Remains’, will be read out by his former hockey coach, Barry James.

Head of fundraising at Allergy UK, Jon Rodriguez, said: ‘Still too many families are affected by the debilitating consequences of living with allergies, which in some cases can be fatal.

‘Despite this, there is still a huge unmet demand within health services to support people living with allergies.

‘It’s time for the UK to take allergy seriously, and we’re very grateful that Judith has granted permission for Ruben’s story to be shared to highlight why it is so crucial to do so.’

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