Teen Girl Was Celebrating with Mom at Dinner When She Started Dying of Allergic Reaction: ‘I’m Sorry, I Love You’

Like many college students, 18-year-old Lily King was thrilled in June 2024 when she found out she had passed her first year at Exeter University in England.

At the time, Lily was on a weeklong trip to Morocco with her mom, Aicha, 57, Aicha tells PEOPLE.

To celebrate on their last night, Lily suggested going back to the same restaurant in Rabat where they had celebrated her 17th birthday.

Aicha hesitated. For Lily, who was allergic to dairy, nuts, fish, sesame, and most seafood, eating at restaurants was always risky.

Whenever they traveled, Aicha says she brought safe food for Lily and made sure her daughter had her EpiPen and antihistamines ready in case of an allergic reaction.

But Lily convinced her mom she would be careful, so Aicha agreed.

That night at the restaurant, Lily ate something that may have been contaminated with allergens, possibly through cross-contamination in the cooking oil. She suffered a severe reaction — and days later, she died on June 23, 2024, according to her parents, Aicha and Michael King.

The family now speaks out, hoping to warn others in similar situations.

A coroner’s report reviewed by PEOPLE said Lily died of cardiorespiratory arrest caused by anaphylaxis “after eating a contaminated meal.”

Dr. Sean Cummings, a coroner in Milton Keynes, wrote that her death was “avoidable.”

“Our hope is to spread the word that going anywhere on holiday with your children, if they have a serious allergy, is a danger,” Lily’s father, Michael, 74, told PEOPLE. He believes restaurant staff did not understand the risks of severe allergies.

The Maya Restaurant and Lounge, where Lily ate, could not be reached for comment and did not respond to a message sent online.

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Michael says he tried to warn his daughter, but like many 18-year-olds, Lily wanted to live her life. Still, she was usually cautious.

“She had allergic reactions throughout her young life, but they weren’t serious, none of them required an EpiPen,” Michael said.

Most of the time, Lily took an antihistamine and the symptoms passed. Only rarely did she face something more severe.

Earlier in 2024, at a music festival near her university, Lily ate a hamburger and unexpectedly suffered her first case of anaphylactic shock.

“She was very lucky because an ambulance was already there at the festival,” Michael said. “They gave her her EpiPen and adrenaline.” She even passed out in the ambulance before recovering.

But in Morocco, things turned out differently.

Aicha, who was born in Morocco, traveled there with Lily almost every year. Sometimes Michael joined them.

“Lily thought she was safe because her mom was with her, and her mom speaks the language,” Michael said.

When they sat down at the restaurant on June 19, Aicha says she warned their waiter three times in Arabic about Lily’s allergies and told other staff as well.

She ordered grilled chicken and chips, and their server reassured her that everything was safe. Lily even joked with him in Arabic: “I’m not going to be killed.”

But soon after tasting what she thought was a carrot, Lily felt her tongue begin to itch — the usual first sign of a reaction.

Aicha insisted they rush to a hospital. Lily took an antihistamine and said she felt better, but her condition worsened outside the restaurant. She used her EpiPen twice and told her mother heartbreaking last words: “Mom, I’m sorry. I love you. But goodbye.”

She collapsed soon after.

Aicha says the ambulance was delayed and that restaurant staff even demanded she pay the bill before leaving. Desperate, Aicha’s nephew drove them to the hospital. By then, Lily was unresponsive and later showed no brain activity.

When Michael arrived in Morocco, doctors told him her chances were poor. Lily was eventually taken off life support.

Lily, who was studying economics, was Michael and Aicha’s only daughter. Aicha had suffered three miscarriages before, and Michael had three children from a previous marriage.

Now, the grieving parents say they don’t want others to face the same tragedy.

“We want to help other people make informed decisions about eating in countries where they don’t speak the language,” Michael said, “or where food safety rules aren’t as strict as back home.”