Long unused EpiPen saves Connoquenessing Township man
CONNOQUENESSING TWP — The 15 minutes that followed the hornet stings Daniel Beggs took to his leg Monday afternoon, June 17, made the past eight consecutive years of renewing Ian Beggs’ expensive EpiPen prescription worth it.
Ian Beggs, 13, and his sister, Lauren Beggs, 18, knew immediately there was something wrong with their dad, Daniel Beggs, when he came inside from mowing the lawn on Monday gasping for air. It turned out an allergy to bee stings runs in the family, because Ian had been prescribed an EpiPen eight years earlier, after he developed a rash a week after being stung.
Daniel Beggs said he isn’t sure what would have happened if his children hadn’t administered the EpiPen as quickly as they did.
“I have never been allergic, so I wasn’t that concerned. I continued cutting the grass, but within I would say 10 minutes of being stung, I started feeling tingling,” he said. “If I was alone, I don’t know if I would have grabbed it; I don’t know if I would have done it in time.”
On Friday, June 21, the Beggses recounted the Monday incident, alongside their neighbor, Patti Vandale, who came to their house on Whitestown Road to help during the health scare.
Vandale works as a nurse at Butler Memorial Hospital. She said she went to the Beggs’ house when she got two calls in a row from Lauren. When she arrived about 15 minutes after the initial stings, she was shocked to find the teens staying calm while dealing with their dad.
“Lauren had dialed 911, she was calm when I came over, she was watching for them,” Vandale said. “I was so impressed that they acted as quickly as they did because the outcome could have been much worse.”
Despite their calm demeanor in Vandale’s presence, Ian and Lauren said they were worried about their dad, especially when he passed out.
“As soon as he sat down he passed out. He was out for probably a good minute-and-a-half and he was shaking,” Ian said. “It was also kind of freaky because his eyes were open while he was passed out.”
Most of the incident is a blur to Daniel Beggs, but he said he remembers telling Ian to get his EpiPen while he was drifting in and out of lucidity.
“I was sweating profusely. I had zero strength. I could barely talk. I couldn’t move much,” Daniel Beggs said. “When I came in I said, ‘Grab your EpiPen.’ I had no idea how quickly it could progress, I just wanted him to have it just in case.”
Christina Beggs, mother of Ian and Lauren and wife of Daniel, said she had taught Ian how to use the EpiPen on himself, in case he needed it while he was alone. She also said she just picked up a new EpiPen prescription just a few weeks before.
“You hate paying the price for them because they’re expensive, but I have never been so happy,” Christina Beggs said. “We’ll never complain about it again.”
Daniel Beggs was transported by Butler Ambulance Service to Butler Memorial Hospital, where it was confirmed he was having a reaction to the hornet stings. They gave him Benadryl and an IV, and Christina Beggs said they weren’t leaving the hospital without a prescription for an EpiPen.
The incident left Daniel Beggs with a new knowledge of EpiPen use, because if his children hadn’t administered the shot when they did, he may not have survived.
“I was second-guessing. I know now, if you feel something — do it,” Daniel Beggs said. “Why wait? There is no harm in doing it.”
