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Allergies and Family Gatherings

March 18, 2013

Have you had allergies your whole life? Do you feel like people who have known you since you were born should understand your allergies by now? I have learned that no matter how old you are and how responsible you are with your allergies it can still scare your relatives into sometimes treating you like a child.

I have lived being at risk for anaphylaxis to dairy, eggs, nuts and latex my whole life. Since the age of three I knew exactly what I could and could not eat. I have always been very conscious and responsible of what I was putting in my mouth. I often taught my family and friends the true importance of allergies and how severe anaphylaxis can be.

It has been a lifelong tradition that every Sunday my Nan and Pup have dinner for the whole family. This includes cousins, aunts, uncles and frankly whoever wants to come. I am lucky to be very close with my family.

I am now 19 but sometimes get treated as if I were still 5 when it comes to family dinners. My nan often makes every food safe for me to eat, but if there happens to be something I can’t eat, she will go out of her way to tell me and I obviously won’t go near it. My parents however do not treat me like a child when it comes to my allergies. They know how responsible I am and that I won’t eat something without being 100% sure of what is in the food.

At Sunday dinner or other family gatherings I often hear things like “are you sure you can eat that?”, “maybe you should check the ingredients a few times”, “Nan are you sure Jazmin can have that?”, “Maybe you shouldn’t try that”, and “Have you had that before?” I completely understand why my family tends to be nervous and cautious with my allergies as they have witnessed anaphylaxis before. However I live independently a few hours away from home for the majority of the time, cook for myself and am managing fine on my own. When I get home I feel so much pressure and almost become nervous about even eating an apple. At the end of the day, I am lucky to have a family that cares so much about me!three generations

Do you have trouble with family treating you differently because of your allergies? Have you ever heard the same things I hear at Sunday dinners?

 

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