A 10-year-old boy with 22 potentially fatal allergies cannot attend birthday parties or sleepovers without risk of death. His mother, Katie Hutt, 46, from Cardiff, is urging the government to improve allergy education and access to life-saving medication.
Living in Fear
Yann Jennings is allergic to dairy, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, seafood, eggs, kiwi, sesame, nutmeg, quinoa, soya, pulses, rye, oats, barley, tuna, red fish, pollen, flaxseed, pumpkin seed, buckwheat, and animal dander from cats, dogs, and horses. His allergies are airborne, trace, and contact, meaning even being near certain foods can trigger anaphylactic shock.
Ms Hutt, a former lawyer who quit her job to care for Yann, said: "We couldn't go to a cafe because the milk frother making flat whites could prove fatal. Flights abroad were out of the question. Every day we were dicing with death."
A Desperate Search for Help
Yann's allergies were first detected at six months old. His first anaphylactic episode occurred at age one after consuming coconut cream. He required two EpiPens and paramedic intervention. Ms Hutt said: "If I hadn't had the EpiPen he would have died. There isn't sufficient education about how dangerous allergies are."
In March 2026, the UK government announced that schools in England must stock allergy pens and provide compulsory teacher training. However, this legislation does not cover Wales, where the family lives. Ms Hutt is calling for mandatory allergy education in all educational settings and the catering industry.
Hope Across the Atlantic
In 2022, the family discovered a not-for-profit clinic in California running a pioneering allergy elimination programme. Yann began treatment in August 2024, microdosing food proteins at home and visiting the clinic every 12 weeks. After four years, doctors say he will be allergy-free.
The treatment has been expensive, costing £2,000 per return flight for the family plus accommodation. They have remortgaged their home and rely on a GoFundMe campaign. Ms Hutt wants Yann cured before he starts high school, as most allergy deaths occur in teenagers and young adults aged 15 to 25.
A Future Without Fear
Ms Hutt said: "For Yann's whole life, we've been in survival mode. Every day we wondered if he would come home. For the first time, the fear is subsiding and we're looking to the future with hope."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We are working with a range of partners and experts, including members of the National Allergy Strategy Group, to consider how allergy care and support could be improved."
