"In the moment, it was a stressful situation and I didn't even think twice.
"Because they knew of that allergy, they had all my medical history."
Anaphylactic shock is the most severe form of an allergic reaction, often affecting several parts of the body, including either breathing difficulties, a sudden drop in blood pressure, or both, according to Allergy New Zealand.
By the time Ashburton St John Ambulance staff arrived at Holden's house it was "getting bad'', she said.
"They were going to helicopter me to Christchurch, but the helicopter had to attend something more serious in Timaru.
"So a team of specialists met me in the ambulance in Dunsandel to check on me and then I continued on to Christchurch Hospital."
Due to her near-death escape, Holden had since experienced ongoing seizures and memory deterioration.
"I can't drive, work, see friends. I am housebound," she said.
St John South Island Ambulance Communications Centre manager, Liz Beavon, said via a written statement that it had carried out an internal investigation, which had "identified an opportunity to review our process''.
She also said it was not common knowledge that aspirin was an anti-inflammatory.
"And the triage tool (patient assessment procedure) that emergency call handlers utilise does not highlight this."
Holden said it was good that St John had reviewed its processes, "but I am still waiting for an apology".
St John said it had apologised but not so according to Holden, who remained upset and unwell because of its near-fatal error.
"I put my life in their hands when I pressed that (medic alarm) button, like many others.''
- Ashburton Guardian
