NYU doctor who died at Disney went into medicine because of food allergy

The NYU Langone doctor who died from a severe allergic reaction after eating at a Disney Springs restaurant was inspired to pursue a career in medicine because of her life-threatening condition — and also religiously carried an EpiPen.

Kanokporn “Amy” Tangsuan was hypervigilant about what she ate and took pains to remind restaurant staff about her allergies every time she ate out, her grieving father told The Post in an exclusive interview.

Her visit to Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant at their Walt Disney World resort on Oct. 5 was no different, according to a wrongful death lawsuit her widower filed last week against Disney and the eatery.

Tangsuan, 42, told the wait staff multiple times she had nut and dairy allergies, the Orange County, Fla., court filing said. She then collapsed while walking around the resort following her meal of scallops, onion rings, broccoli and corn fritters at the restaurant.

Her cause of death was severe anaphylaxis due to “elevated levels of dairy and nut in her system,” according to the lawsuit.

“I think the restaurant is responsible,” Amnuay Tangsuan, the late doctor’s 81-year-old father, said from his home in Bellerose, Queens.

“Even when we go to restaurants around here, we make sure to tell the waiters that they don’t have dairy or nuts around her. I always want to make sure every time we take her out.

“She always carried an EpiPen on her. All her life.” 

Tangsuan had been grappling with her condition since she experienced her first reaction as a child, the grieving father said.

The scary experience not only taught her how to navigate the world more cautiously but also led her to her career in the medical field.

“She chose to be a doctor because she had an allergic reaction, and she said, ‘OK, I have to be something where I (know how) to treat myself,’” Amnuay Tangsuan said.

The daughter of Thai immigrants, Tangsuan grew up in Bellerose and attended high school in the Bronx before studying at Binghamton University.

She ultimately landed a job as a family medicine doctor at NYU Langone on Long Island — but devoted her spare time to charity work.

“She wanted to help other people. She went to Thailand — there was a program where a doctor from here could go over there and help sick children,” the elder Tangsuan said.

“We would go and do that medical trip as a family. She went like six or seven times before COVID.”

Tangsuan and husband Jeffrey Piccolo were passionate travelers who were checking Disney World off their bucket list, Amnuay Tangsuan said.

She died the day she arrived at the resort.

“That morning I drove her to the airport. That night by 11 p.m., I get a call — I almost collapsed. I didn’t tell my wife until the next morning,” Amnuay Tangsuan said.

“The husband called and I couldn’t understand what he said because he was crying but the doctor took the phone and told me. They told me they couldn’t help her.” 

Though an EpiPen was immediately administered to her, she ultimately died at a local hospital, according to the lawsuit.

Amnuay Tangsuan said he was told the ambulance was slow to respond to his daughter’s medical emergency.

He said he is not involved in Piccolo’s lawsuit and is leaving that up to his son-in-law. The family is seeking damages in excess of $50,000.

A manager at Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant told The Post that staffers were trained to take food allergies “very seriously” even before Tangsuan’s death, but are now asking diners whether they have any restrictions when taking orders.

After Disney, Kanokporn Tangsuan and her husband of six years were planning to drive the whole country together in an RV they had bought. The vehicle is still parked outside the couple’s Suffolk County home.

“She was my only child … (Amy) was so young. Just 42 years old,” Amnuay Tangsuan mourned.

“Nobody can hold anything in this world. It comes and it goes.” 

Disney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.