“Allergies have added much more to my life than they have taken away or prevented me from experiencing.”

Allergies have been a part of my life since the beginning. I have made tree nuts, soy, and peanuts the pariahs of my life. I grew up reading the back labels of food to make sure that the ingredients wouldn’t make me stop breathing. Allergies have given me a responsibility. My life literally depends on the checking of the foods I consume.

I, like many other allergy-stricken people, have had Epi-Pens for the large majority of my life. Thankfully, I haven’t had to use one. These pens add to the responsibility and accountability that I have to have. I am responsible for having an Epi-Pen with me. It is up to me and me alone. If the Epi-Pen is forgotten, the blame is on me because I am the one who could be hurt by the forgetting of it. This has taught me the power of being self-accountable. Being self-accountable is becoming a seemingly rarer quality as time goes by, and, in a weird way, I’m thankful for the self-accountability that having allergies has given me. It helps me stand out and be unique, which are qualities I have come to appreciate much more as I have gotten older.

Along with the self-accountability, living with allergies has also given me a great self-dependence that has affected my life in many ways. I'm responsible for myself, my needs, and my work. This has allowed me to problem solve in various different situations and be adaptable. So much so, that I spent my junior and senior years of high school taking college courses online. I used my self-accountability, self-dependence, and self-discipline to be able to learn the material and do well with the projects, papers, tests, and exams. I did very well throughout the numerous classes, which I don’t think would be the case if I didn’t have allergies.

With allergies, I might not be able to eat a certain snack at an event or meal at a wedding or gathering; therefore, I need to figure out what I can eat, and when it becomes necessary, ask others for help. Being able to ask someone for help and information without fear is something valuable that having allergies has taught me. So many times, I have had to ask waiters, hostesses, chefs, you name it what oil that the restaurant uses to fry. However, this isn’t a bad thing. I have had so many conversations, met so many people, and learned so many interesting things from these encounters. You hear how others deal with their allergies or diet and then compare, learn, and grow from each other’s stories and knowledge. And finally, my allergies have given me the opportunity to care for and be an example for others.

In conclusion, I am the man that I am today because of my allergies. Allergies have added much more to my life than they have taken away or prevented me from experiencing. I’m doing just fine without peanuts, soy, or tree nuts in my life.

- Dawson S.