Finn's pen could be a real life saver

Finn O'Malley takes an EpiPen with him wherever he goes.

There's one at school, which his teachers have been trained to use, and another one at home that the 6-year-old takes everywhere else.

Each pen costs about $165 and lasts only six months, but his mum Tara said they were worth every cent.

"I know you can get a syringe [for free] but can you imagine what it would be like when your child is lying there in anaphylactic shock trying to pull up a syringe? You'd panic."

Finn was diagnosed with severe allergies to dairy, eggs and nuts when he was a baby. He is also a bad asthmatic.

He has never had a bad reaction because Tara has taught him which foods are "Finn friendly".

Tara said she would keep buying EpiPens because all his teachers and friends' parents knew how to use them if necessary.

"At the end of the day it could be the difference between life and death," she said.

"I think Pharmac really needs to come to the party with some funding. We hope and pray he will never need the EpiPen but it's so good that it's there."

Tara said she told Finn about Peter van den Hurk's death to help him understand why his EpiPen is so important.

"The look on his face, it was just the realisation of how serious his allergies are. I said to him, this little boy ate a cashew nut and passed away and that's why we have an EpiPen. He looked at me and said 'That's a good idea mum'."

- HERALD ON SUNDAY