“I have grown and learned a lot from my tree nut allergy, and now I am able to tell others about it as well.”

Ever since I found out that I have a severe life-threatening food allergy to tree nuts, it has made me more aware of my surroundings every day and has really impacted the way I go through my life.

I was diagnosed with a tree nut allergy at a young age after I had some suspicious reactions to only small bites of food containing pecans and walnuts. I have had reactions since then. For example, minutes after eating something that may have contained almonds, my throat hurt, and I developed a rash on my face. An epi-pen was jabbed into my thigh, and I was taken to the ER. Having that allergic reaction started to make me more cautious with every situation I was in. It triggered me to be more aware of my allergy and more careful in any situation. I always carry those medications with me wherever I go and make sure they are temperature controlled.

Learning about my allergy, watching my surroundings, checking ingredient labels and menus, asking questions, planning ahead and taking my own food/snacks have been a part of my everyday life that I’ve been learning about since I was young. I communicate with teachers, family, and friends how to use an epi-pen and what symptoms they should watch for. Phrases like “cross-contamination” and “advocating for myself” are terms I know well.

My allergist has led me to further diagnosis’ that are not uncommon to those with food allergies, such as asthma, eczema, Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EOE), gastrointestinal issues and no lactase enzyme. I have anxiety, too.

I’ve been through oral food challenges and keep the hope that there will be a cure or something to manage food allergies for those people that have them. Having a food allergy is just a part of my life that I have accepted and am learning how to manage on my own. This has also encouraged me to cook, bake, prepare my own foods, and learn about food safety, which is something that I enjoy and found that I am good at!

I have grown and learned a lot from my tree nut allergy, and now I am able to tell others about it as well. It has introduced me to the world of living with food allergies and is something that I know I can work to manage, and I can spread awareness about to others. I have talked about and done projects on my experience with food allergies at 4H meetings/fair projects and have given speeches in school. I also participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project with non-food treats.

Food allergies have shaped my life, and I am continuing to find that I can work through what comes along by focusing on joy and mindfulness. It brings me happiness to spread the word of food allergies. I want to build more awareness about them because it is really important to me and to others.

-Kylie