Elmhurst honors life of Annie LeGere with passing of LeGere Law

ELMHURST – A year after their daughter's death of an allergic reaction, Shelly and John LeGere stood alongside state and local lawmakers, family, friends and Elmhurst School District 205 officials Aug. 25 at Sandburg Middle School to celebrate the passage of the Annie LeGere Law.

The memorial event marked the one-year anniversary of the death of the LeGere's 13-year-old daughter Annie, who died in August 2015 from prolonged anaphylactic shock caused by a previously unsuspected allergic reaction.

The recently enacted Senate Bill 2878, known as Annie LeGere Law, was presented to the family during the Aug. 27 ceremony by the legislation's sponsoring lawmakers, State Rep. Michelle Mussman. D-Schaumburg, and Sen. Chris Nybo, R-Elmhurst. The legislation is aimed at preventing future death's similar to Annie's.

The law amends the State Police Act and the Illinois Police Training Act, enabling police officers to be trained and equipped with epinephrine injectors, a drug that reverses the effects of anaphylactic shock caused by an allergic reaction. The best known brand of epinephrine is the EpiPen.

The Aug. 27 memorial event also included the dedication of a tree and a bench in Annie’s honor on the grounds at Sandburg where she was a student.

Among those in attendance were the LeGere family, Annie’s friends, Mussman, Nybo, Elmhurst School District 205 officials, DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin, DuPage County Board Member Pete DiCianni, Elmhurst Mayor Steve Morley and DuPage County Sheriff John Zaruba.

On Aug. 25, 2015, Annie LeGere was at a friend’s house for a sleepover when she started to get ill in the middle of the night. When her mother arrived to help her, she found her daughter unconscious.

Police were at the scene within minutes but were unable to render needed aid, because they were not authorized to carry and administer epinephrine auto-injectors. Annie was transported to the hospital but died the following morning.

In the following months, Nybo and Mussman worked closely with Shelly LeGere to pass legislation allowing state police and other law enforcement agencies to conduct training programs for officers on recognizing and responding to anaphylaxis, including administration of an epinephrine auto-injector. The law also enables the State Police or a local governmental agency to authorize officers to carry and administer epinephrine auto-injectors, which dispense a measured dose of epinephrine, once they have completed the required training.

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For more information about Illinois State Sen. Chris Nybo, go to http://chrisnybo.com.