It was just a brownie. That’s the part that sticks in your throat when you hear about the Hannah Glass allergic reaction. It wasn't some reckless dare or a hidden ingredient in a complex five-course meal. It was a treat, shared by a friend, at a place where she should have been safe.
Hannah Glass was a 19-year-old student at Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown, Wisconsin. She was bright, driven, and by all accounts, incredibly careful. She’d lived with a severe peanut allergy since she was three. She knew the drill. She carried an EpiPen. She’d had minor reactions before—only two in her whole life—and she’d handled them. But on November 5, 2024, the math of her life changed in a way no one saw coming.
What Really Happened with the Brownie?
The details are gut-wrenching because they're so mundane. A women's group on campus had prepared gluten-free brownies. In a move that felt like a healthy or inclusive substitution, the baker used roasted peanut flour instead of wheat flour.
Here is the kicker: peanut flour doesn't smell or taste like the oily peanut butter most of us associate with allergies. It’s a dry, powdery ingredient that can easily hide in a chocolatey crumb. Hannah took a bite. Then a second. By that second bite, she knew.
The Deceptive "False Recovery"
Initially, the reaction looked like the ones she’d survived before. She vomited. Hives broke out. Honestly, it probably felt like a bad Tuesday. Her parents, David and Janine Glass, were on the phone with her almost immediately. Hannah took Benadryl. She used an inhaler. For a brief, cruel window of time, she actually seemed like she was getting better.
She told her parents her throat wasn't closing. This is a huge misconception about anaphylaxis—that it always starts with a closed airway. Sometimes it’s a systemic collapse that happens while you think you’re catching your breath.
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When her parents arrived at her dorm about an hour later, Hannah was still conscious but struggling. She went to lie down on her bunk. Her mother suggested she lie on her side rather than her stomach to help her breathe. As she shifted, everything went south. She curled into a fetal position and her right lung collapsed.
The Fatal Delay and the Science of Anaphylaxis
One of the most tragic aspects of the Hannah Glass allergic reaction is the timing of the epinephrine. Reports from the family and local news outlets like CBS 58 indicate that while Hannah had her EpiPen, it wasn't used right away. In those early moments when the Benadryl seemed to be working, the "gold standard" life-saving drug stayed in its case.
By the time EMS arrived and administered epinephrine, Hannah’s heart had stopped. It stayed stopped for four minutes.
That four-minute gap is an eternity for the human brain. While paramedics eventually resuscitated her and rushed her to Froedtert Hospital, the lack of oxygen had already caused "unmistakable, serious, and terminal" brain damage.
Why Peanut Flour is Different
We usually think of peanut allergies in terms of "may contain traces." But using peanut flour as a base ingredient is a different level of exposure. The concentration of protein—the stuff that actually triggers the immune system to go into combat mode—is incredibly high. Because it was roasted, the flavor was masked by the cocoa in the brownie.
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David Glass later noted that because there was no oily residue, the "sensory warning" Hannah usually relied on just wasn't there.
Turning a Nightmare Into a Legacy
Hannah died on November 10, 2024. But if you’re looking for a silver lining in a story this dark, it’s what her parents did next.
They didn't just retreat into their grief. They looked at the medical staff and asked about organ donation. On the day she was taken off life support, hundreds of people lined the hallways of the hospital for an Honor Walk. It’s a tradition where staff and family stand in silence as a donor is taken to the operating room.
Hannah’s heart, liver, and kidneys saved four different people almost immediately. Just recently, a year after her death, her family met one of the recipients. It’s a heavy, beautiful kind of closure.
The Mission for "Anaphylaxis Readiness"
The Glass family is now pushing for something called "Anaphylaxis Readiness." They’ve turned Maranatha Baptist University into a training ground.
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They aren't just telling people to "be careful." They are teaching dorm leaders and students how to:
- Identify the "silent" signs of a reaction (like a drop in blood pressure or sudden lethargy).
- Use an EpiPen without hesitation.
- Understand that Benadryl is a secondary treatment, not a primary one.
The reality is that food allergies are skyrocketing. You’ve probably noticed more "nut-free" tables at schools, but the training hasn't always kept up with the risk. The Glasses want every campus in the country to treat epinephrine training with the same urgency as CPR or AED training.
What This Means for You
If you or someone you love lives with a severe allergy, the Hannah Glass story is a sobering reminder that "fine" can turn into "fatal" in seconds. You can't rely on how a previous reaction felt. Every exposure is a new roll of the dice.
Actionable Steps for Allergy Safety:
- Epi-First, Epi-Fast: If there is any suspicion of a systemic reaction (hives + vomiting, or hives + cough), use the epinephrine immediately. Do not wait to see if Benadryl works.
- The "Two is One" Rule: Always carry two injectors. Sometimes one dose isn't enough to stop the "second wave" of a reaction (biphasic anaphylaxis).
- Question "Gluten-Free" or "Vegan" Labels: In many bakeries, these labels imply a substitution. Always ask specifically what the flour base is. Almond flour and peanut flour are common wheat alternatives.
- Training Your Circle: Your friends need to know where your EpiPen is and how to use it. Hannah was with friends when she ate the brownie; if they had been trained to use the pen at the first sign of hives, the outcome might have changed.
- Check Expiration Dates: An expired EpiPen loses potency. Set a calendar reminder every six months to check yours.
The Hannah Glass allergic reaction wasn't a failure of character or even a failure of caution. It was a tragic intersection of a hidden ingredient and a deceptive symptom timeline. By talking about it, her family is making sure that "just a brownie" never takes another life.
Next Steps for Safety:
You should verify the expiration date on any emergency medication in your house today. If you are a student or parent, contact your local school administration to ask if they have a formal "Anaphylaxis Readiness" plan that includes more than just a "no-nuts" policy. Awareness is good, but immediate action is what saves lives.