What was Natasha Allergic to?

Natasha had multiple food allergies and asthma.

Had she lived, she would now be 23 years old. What I personally find very upsetting, is that many of you have had similar allergy diagnosis journeys as ours and yet ours was over two decades ago. Whilst there has been progress for some families, for many others, joined-up allergy diagnosis and specialised support and care within the NHS, are still fundamentally lacking.

Natasha’s allergy symptoms were not unusual for an allergic child and yet the diagnosis dots weren't joined up as quickly as they should have been. When she was 3 months old, painful eczema appeared on her face and body. Our doctor prescribed a steroid cream but because it was strong for her delicate skin, I was advised to put on a prescribed base cream first. Natasha’s skin on her face and body reacted; it cracked with deep fissures and bled. She screamed. I took her back to the doctor and was told that she was most likely allergic to the lanolin in the base cream. It took weeks for her skin to heal.

When she was 6 months old, I gave her a tiny piece of banana and she had an anaphylactic reaction that hospitalised her. Soon after, I asked our doctor if it was safe to give her cow’s milk formula because I was worried she might be allergic to it because of the banana incident. I was told that as a first-time mum, it was natural to be over-sensitive, but it was highly unlikely she would have another allergic reaction. I gave her the milk formula and she had another anaphylactic reaction, just as frightening as the first one. Now we were very scared.

Just after Natasha’s first birthday, as her eczema faded, asthma took its place. Asthma plagued her and was worsened by viruses, cold, mould, chemical smells, and spring pollen. She was finally given a skin prick test and bananas, dairy and eggs came up as highly allergenic; nuts and peanuts, as ‘mild’. She was two years old now; we didn't dare give her nuts or peanuts - call it a gut feeling, but soon after, she touched a breadstick with sesame seeds to her lip before I whisked it away, but too late, her lip came up red and sore. Now we knew she was also allergic to sesame seeds.

Fearful of 'unsafe' and ‘untried’ foods, her diet was limited, relying entirely on homemade meals. Introducing new food ingredients involved extremely cautious steps. There were a few foods that Natasha herself had an instinct not to eat. They were melon, avocado and coconut. She wasn't tested for them, I was told then that it wasn't possible, but we respected her fears and were careful not to include them in her diet. As she got older, Natasha never ate any new foods without checking with us first. Until her fatal reaction in 2016, she hadn’t had an anaphylactic reaction for nine years. We had learned to live with a fine balance, keeping a healthy outlook on life, whilst always being alert to possible allergen dangers and keeping her safe.

We thought we were doing well, yet in the summer of 2016, Natasha passed away from anaphylaxis whilst on board a plane. She had eaten a baguette which had sesame seeds baked into the dough of the bread, the ingredient undisclosed on the food label. ‘What if…' questions can drive you mad, so instead, I am completely focussed on the work of the charity we started in her name, Natasha’s Foundation; with its ambitious mission, which is to #MakeAllergyHistory.