Living with Food Allergies: My Journey
Hi, I’m Jessica,
When I was 16 months old I experienced anaphylactic shock to egg;
…then when I was 11, I had anaphylaxis to peanuts;
…at 13, to hazelnut
…and at 16, to soya.
From a young age, I learned to be allergy-aware.
Testing…Testing…
I've undergone countless Skin Prick Tests and food challenges in hospitals.
The first time I was turned away from a restaurant due to my allergies was at age 13.
I never expected it, and it knocked my confidence. This experience reminded me of a similar incident at age 3 when I was denied entry to a creche due to the staff's outdated AAI Pen training.
My Granny's efforts led to changes, ensuring staff were trained and up-to-date.
Dating with allergies
Dating introduced new challenges to having food allergies.
Dating my boyfriend at 14 introduced new challenges. I felt nervous about eating at his house and often ate beforehand. It took time to realise that accepting kind gestures from others, like preparing separate meals, shouldn't make me feel guilty or embarrassed.
Starting university meant explaining my allergies to roommates. They were understanding, and we created an allergy-free space in the kitchen. I taught them how to use my injector pens and shared my symptoms of anaphylaxis.
I love to cook and bake, a skill I inherited from my mum, who made all my meals and desserts from scratch.
Today, I continue to cook from scratch, finding safety in knowing my food is allergen-free.
Growing up with severe allergies was certainly a very different upbringing to others, which wasn’t apparent to me until I got older. Now the responsibility is up to me: being constantly aware of my surroundings, monitoring what everyone else is eating, ensuring that my boyfriend doesn’t kiss me if he has eaten something that I can’t, still being aware whilst I’m partying and just wanting to eat anything I can see, staying clear of my asthma triggers… the list is endless.
I've become more comfortable with my allergies, rarely encountering problems when dining out. Allergies have shaped my life and have become a part of who I am. Thank you to Natasha's Foundation for allowing me to share my journey. To anyone with allergies, please don't feel awkward, guilty, or embarrassed. Your allergies make you unique, and true friends will embrace that uniqueness.
Your allergies are a part of you and just make you that little bit more special.
🌸 #LivingWithAllergies #AllergyAwareness #EmbraceYourUniqueness
By Jessica Duckworth