“So as you can see my allergy is very much a part of my daily life but it does not define me.”

Here is my journey with my peanut allergy. My parents often tell this story to me about my first experience with peanut butter. I was about 3 and my mom decided it was finally time to try something that contained peanuts, the nutter butter cookie. She was cautious because most pediatricians did not want kids under three to have peanuts at a young age (the thinking has changed a lot since those days with earlier exposure now) so that’s why she waited until I was three. My mom said as soon as I started to eat it I started to spit it out as if to say I didn’t really like the taste of it. My mom said she had a terrible sinking feeling that something else was going on. My adverse reaction did not happen immediately but within a half hour I started to cough and sneeze constantly. My mom knew this meant trouble. My parents rushed me to the hospital as I complained that my tongue felt funny and then I was sweating a lot too and became very quiet. They rushed me into the ER and the ER team took over and gave me epinephrine immediately and oxygen. They continued to monitor my vitals closely throughout the night. I recovered quickly but as you can tell I scared the life out of my parents. I’m very thankful I didn’t remember any of this experience, but I’m glad I know my beginning story of my journey.

As I entered school my parents educated both me and all the teachers/staff about my allergy. They were so helpful with the whole process. And since my allergy was truly ingestion only, my parents encouraged me to sit with all my friends at the “regular” lunch table instead of the separate “peanut-free table.” They taught me the importance of inclusion in a safe environment and I am very grateful for that!

And as I got older my parents instilled in me the importance of being my own advocate. Reading labels, asking questions at restaurants, carrying my own epi-pen on me all the time, taking responsibility, showing my friends how to help me with my epi-pen in case of an emergency, knowing all the sign/ symptoms of a reaction to not only help myself but possibly others in an emergency.

So as you can see my allergy is very much a part of my daily life but it does not define me. I am cautious but I am also aware that I have the tools to handle it and it has taught me to be responsible and my own advocate.

- Matt H.