Your food allergies do NOT define you.
Confidence can be won in all shapes and sizes
No matter it’s size, every win is a step forward, and behind every confident child, teen or young adult, there is a parent or carer who believed in them first.
Natasha had food allergies from when she was a baby, so they were taken into serious consideration as part of everyday life. It was important to us as her parents, that as well as keeping her safe, her allergies didn’t define her confidence, character or stop her from achieving her milestones, ambitions and dreams.
It was a big responsibility, not easy and learned over time, but children are extremely watchful and take cues from us. We taught Natasha from a young age never to be ashamed of her allergies but to advocate for herself with confidence. It wasn't always easy, especially in her early teen years but - it was worth battling through her insecurities and fears when they arose because when she came through the other side, she didn't just have the confidence to advocate for herself, she would also do so for others without any hesitation. We were so proud of her.
Our last family holiday was in the Easter holidays, three months before she died. We went to the Grand Canaries and while we were there, Natasha told us that her dream was to skydive (tandem jump) from a plane. In the UK you have to be 18 years old to do this, but when we looked into it, we discovered that you can do it in the Canaries from the age of 12!
After some research, it was booked! On the day, Natasha could hardly contain herself with happy nerves. Alex her younger brother who was 12 and afraid of heights was so inspired by his 15 year old sister wanting to jump out of a moving plane at 12,000 feet, that he decided to do the jump as well and they did it together! Natasha was so proud of him, and following that day, Alex’s fear of heights disappeared.
Confidence can be won in all shapes and sizes, and battles that seem small to some of us can look like David and Goliath to others. But no matter it’s size, every win is a step forward, and behind every confident child, teen, or young adult, there is a parent or carer who believes in them first.
Tanya x