I did not think to look at the product ingredients, a grieving Altramirano said in aninterviewwithAllergic Living. She was just excited to have her special toothpaste. Contrary to what everyones telling me, I feel like I failed her!

On the evening of April 4, Saldate brushed her teeth for the first time with her new toothpaste, with her 15-year-old sister in the bathroom. According to the sister, Saldate immediately began crying and ran to her mother for help.

She said, I think Im having an allergic reaction to the toothpaste, and her lips were already blue, Altamirano said. I picked her up and put her on my bed. I ran to the living room, told my daughter Call 911! and I grabbed the EpiPen.

She was my sunshine, she was the light of my life, Altamirano said. In the midst of their tragedy, Altamirano is encouraging parents to never stop checking labels when they have a child with food allergies.

Read everything. Dont get comfortable, just because youve been managing for several years, she said. You cant get comfortable or be embarrassed or afraid to ask and ensure that ingredients are OK. Be that advocate for your child.

Her family implores those who are aware to share their knowledge and to inform those who are unfamiliar with anaphylaxis of the seriousness of this condition. They hope that in sharing her story, families, caregivers, school staff, and people in general will take this condition more seriously and that all items will be checked for ingredients, even those that may seem irrelevant.