Hear Stories From Kids With Food Allergies
Students with food allergies go through a lot of experiences others may not recognize. In addition to not consuming their allergens, students may have to read ingredients, undergo testing and "food challenges," experience food allergy bullying, be responsible for their own life-saving medication at a young age (including knowing how to administer it for themselves), constantly advocate for themselves, carry their own food to a party, and more. Read some of the stories below to learn more and don't forget to check out the curriculum for more stories from students with food allergies.
G.M. is thirteen years old and is in eighth grade. She participates in theater, swimming, voice, mock trial, Girl Scouts, gymnastics, and cheer. G.M.’s favorite subject is Literature and she likes animals. In addition, G.M. has won many awards including Honor Roll, medals for MVP in sports, and even an acting award! G.M. is allergic to nuts.
“G has never liked to have her blood drawn and when her pulmonary doc ordered blood to determine any allergens - it took three nurses to hold her down and get it done….and a special unicorn was bought to reward her bravery. She still has ‘uni’ ”
"One time when G was in preschool one of her friends had Reese's puff cereals and G didn’t know it had peanuts in it and she thought it was vanilla. She went ahead and tasted it and her throat started to get 'scratchy' and she started crying"
-G.M.
Lauren is a junior in high school. Lauren participates in Advanced Dance, BSU Leadership, Student Council, running, soccer, and Queen's Council at her school. Lauren has won many awards in different aspects of her life including several Royal Academy of Dance awards, Regal Excellence Awards, Bronze Award, and a President's Award. Born with food allergies or developing them when she was young, Lauren is allergic to shellfish, tomatoes, wheat, garlic, many medications, and nuts. “I've had a significant amount of allergic reactions in my life, and with this, I've had to explain my allergies to people, as well as being cautious of what I'm around. One of the most impactful parts of dealing with allergies is people asking how severe my allergies are. When I tell someone I'm allergic to something, they tend to ask, "Well, but how allergic? Like will you end up in the hospital?" Though I always answer by explaining that my throat would most likely swell up and I'd have trouble breathing, I've started to explain that regardless of the severity of an allergy, it is still important to be mindful, cautious, and careful of the allergens around someone. Whether it's a hive, an itchy throat, watery eyes, or reactions in need of an EpiPen, all allergies should be validated and cared for. My life and every other person's life should never be put at risk of being negatively affected due to allergies, especially if people neglect them because of their level of severity”
-Lauren
Axel is eight-years-old and in third grade. Axel enjoys math and science and participates in a computer coding class! Some of Axel's favorite things include cats, math, Rubik's Cubes, and science experiments. His mom tells a few stories about his experiences with food allergies.
"After trying countless recipes for eggless and nut free chocolate chip cookies, Axel and his mom found an amazing recipe from a blog from India (where there are many people who are vegetarian and don't eat eggs) and it is even better than the Nestle Tollhouse cookie recipe!"
"We had to miss a day of school because the garden class was making pesto - which contains nuts. We also have had to not participate in an art class (Axel's mom added: thank GOD I was volunteering that day) when they used egg pasta for the craft."
- Axel
G.W. is involved in swim and also does calligraphy! Some of her accomplishments include acceptance to Mount St. Mary's University and Principal's Honor Roll 4 years in a row. G.W. is allergic to peanuts and penicillin."I grew up with reading the ingredients section of every packaged food before eating it and always constantly asking the question, "does this have peanuts?" The one time I didn't ask was the time I had my biggest reaction. I was at a luncheon for my high school because I was receiving a department award. Dazzled by the dessert table, I grabbed a handful of cookies. By the end of the luncheon, my eyes were swollen and my throat was itchy. Thinking nothing of it, I continued to Spanish class, where I struggled to take a full breath which later became more and more difficult. I was sent to the office, my mom was called and from there I was taken to the hospital. The rest was more a blur than a clear memory but after an IV, a particular dose of epinephrine and tons of rest, I had survived an allergic reaction due to cross contamination."
-G.W.
Jadin is in his senior year of high school. He enjoys playing video games and has had food allergies since he was born. Jadin is allergic to milk, eggs, nuts (except almonds), and shellfish. One accomplishment Jadin has is earning the highest score you can earn on tests for advanced classes (AP Exams)!" "Last year, I drank a smoothie at Jamba Juice, but they got my order wrong. Instead of a plant based smoothie, they gave me a smoothie which contained milk. I knew something was wrong after I took my first sip. I treated my allergic reaction immediately. The itchiness on my tongue was gone, but my uvula was inflamed for two days."
-Jadin
Luna is in eleventh grade and she enjoys drama, baking, art, sewing, dance, crocheting, and volunteering both at the Red Cross and the Youth Suicide Hotline. Luna has had food allergies since she was a baby and while she has outgrown a few of her allergies, including an allergy to shellfish, she is currently allergic to tree nuts, peanuts, pineapple, and sulfites in addition to her other non-food allergies. "I had some kind of nut exposure in December of 2020. I never really found out what happened but it was really frustrating because the restaurant swore up and down that there were no nuts in my food and that I’d be fine. But I had a dumpling from the takeout and immediately knew something was wrong. I learned; however, that if I panicked, I would potentially freak my parents out even more and I could make my own reaction worse by making myself even more anxious. I worked really hard to remain calm and tell my parents that I had eaten something that I was allergic to."
-Luna
Meet The Kids
Meet a few of the students with food allergies who share their stories in the curriculum and the Teacher's Guide Video.
A Parent's Perspective
Hear from a parent of a child with food allergies and their experiences.
"When Axel was 9 months old, I fed him a minuscule piece of broccoli off of my fork. His face instantly started puffing up and welts were covering his body in seconds. I threw him in the car and raced the the ER. He seemed to be passing out and I kept trying to wake him up. I parked terribly in front and ran inside where they ushered me right in. After some meds and the chaos winding down. They mentioned allergies and asked what he ate. I told them about the broccoli convinced it was that. After testing with an allergist, we found it was because I had ate a bit of eggs so the fork was tainted with eggs, his real allergen. I was shocked that such a small amount of broccoli that had slightly come in contact with egg could cause such a life threatening reaction. After that, I brought his food everywhere and wouldn't allow eggs or nuts to ever come into our house. Going to school at age 4 was the first time I left him out of my sight and it terrified me. I had a medical bracelet, a huge sign on his backpack, and lunchbox telling people not to ever give him food."
At a birthday party, we watched a young boy blowing out his candles and immediately after, the mom took one of the cake pops and gave it to Axel. I had to make a beeline, jumping over kids to run over and snatch it out of his hand. Having a food allergic child means CONSTANT vigilance, especially when they are young and trust adults to give them food.
All activities, games, PDF documents of textbooks and workbooks, worksheets, the names "Teach Teal" and "Teal T-Shirts" are created by Noelle. Any use of the work (curriculum, program, etc.) must give credit to Noelle N. Image and Video Credit: Noelle N.
2022
2022