It’s been eight years since 13-year-old Karanbir Cheema died after a piece of cheese was thrown at him.
But for his mother, Rina, the pain never faded.
And neither has the message she wants the world to hear.
Rushed to hospital
On June 28, 2017, a seemingly harmless moment turned into a nightmare. A classmate tossed a piece of cheese that hit Karanbir’s neck at his school in London. No one expected it to be deadly — especially not his classmates or teachers. But within minutes, Karanbir, known as Karan, was in critical condition, and soon after, he was rushed to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Despite the efforts of emergency workers and doctors, Karanbir passed away just days later. Karanbir, who had multiple severe allergies including to dairy, went into cardiac arrest after the reaction — and later suffered from post-cardiac arrest syndrome, a condition that ultimately contributed to his tragic death.
After two weeks in the hospital, his mother was faced with the unimaginable decision to turn off her son’s life support.
“We didn’t want to switch it off – it wasn’t fair on his little body to go through this,” Rina told This Morning in a heartbreaking interview.
“He smiled when the machine was turned off […] they took him into another room, and we said our last goodbyes before he was taken down and he had a smile on his face.”
Expired pen
It was an unimaginable moment — one no parent should have to endure. But Rina Cheema has made it her mission to ensure Karanbir’s legacy lives on by raising awareness of the life-threatening nature of allergies.
She wants students everywhere to understand that allergies are not a joke. And she wants them to see the truth — including the painful photo of her son in intensive care.
Karanbir suffered from severe allergies to dairy and other foods and carried an EpiPen for emergencies — but on the day of the incident, the only dose of adrenaline he received came from a pen that was nearly a year out of date.
That expired pen had likely lost its effectiveness and “probably had less potency,” according to experts.
That single detail raised haunting questions: Could he have survived if the medication had been up to date?
At the 2019 inquest, it was also revealed that Karanbir showed obvious symptoms of anaphylaxis — including frantic scratching — for several minutes before the adrenaline was finally administered.
Dr. Adam Fox, a pediatric allergy expert at Evelina London Children’s Hospital, stressed to the court how crucial early action is in these cases. “At the first sign of anaphylaxis it’s ‘get the adrenaline out and make sure they get it as soon as possible,’” he said, calling it “an important learning point.”
He also explained just how rare and devastating this situation was.
“Where this case is extraordinarily unusual is the nature of the event that led to the anaphylaxis,” Fox said. “If it was skin contact alone that caused, in this case, fatal anaphylaxis, I believe that to be unprecedented.”
“Childish and thoughtless”
During the inquest, the boy who flicked the cheese and another who handed it to him testified from behind a screen. Both were just 13 years old at the time and told the court they had no idea Karanbir had a severe allergy.
The coroner, Mary Hassell, ultimately described the boy’s actions as “childish and thoughtless,” not malicious. Still, she also called out the school for a “missed opportunity” to better educate students and staff about allergy safety.
Rina Cheema lovingly described her son Karan as her “best friend” and “the star of the show.”
Speaking after the inquest, Karanbir’s mother, Rina Cheema, emphasized the need for greater awareness around allergies. “I think it would help a lot of children out there, whatever happened to my son, if the schools, the institutions, hospital, paramedics, were to become aware how serious allergies are,” she said.
She recalled her son’s desperate plea during the reaction, adding, “My son was mature, he knew himself how fast to react. His words were at school: ‘Please help me or I’m going to die’. That says it all.”
Karan’s father, Amerjeet, also expressed hope that the inquest would lead to lasting change. “Karan’s death has left us with a hole that will never be filled,” he said. “The sorrow and sadness of losing Karan is so palpable and fresh it seems we will never be able to overcome it.”
