Something That I Couldn’t Accept For The Longest Time
To the people who do and don’t know me,
I’m allergic to peanuts, wheat, milk, eggs, and sesame just to name some of the big ones. Yeah I know, it’s a lot. But I’m not here to write a sob story about my horrible life with food allergies, no no no. I just want you to know who I am.
I was born with severe food allergies. Everything I listed, I’ve been allergic to since I was born. I’ve never tried your favorite order from Chick Fil A or McDonalds. And I’m fine with that. But the thing is, it’s something that I couldn’t accept for the longest time.
I would typically get invited to birthday parties growing up. See you would think that being invited and attending a birthday party is something to look forward to, but when I was young it really wasn’t. I was always nervous and timid because I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat whatever was served. Yet, I also felt anxious because I knew going in that I was going to be the only one who wouldn’t be able to eat the cake. And that’s the part that demoralized me as a young child.
As a kid, you generally want to be like everyone else. I mean, at least that’s how I felt. I wanted to be just like everyone around me, and it was impossible to accept the fact that I was the only one with all these food allergies.
I remember one day I was sobbing in my mom’s arms. I asked her while crying, “Why am I the one with all these allergies.” And she responded by saying, “There are many other kids out there like you.” It is a statement that I know is true, yet still to this day I have a difficult time believing and understanding.
I still find it hard to believe because I’ve been surrounded throughout my life by people who don’t have any severe food allergies, let alone food allergies in general. But the other thing is, some of the experiences I’ve faced in my life have led me to continue to find myself feeling isolated from everyone else.
My favorite NBA team has always been the Clippers. Maybe 3–4 years ago my dad took me to a Clippers game at Staples Center. I was so excited. Having these allergies, I brought my own bag of popcorn and a homemade hot dog to eat at the game.
When we were walking through the security check, I was questioned about the food I had in hand. I was asked to open up the hot dog which was wrapped inside foil and open the bag of popcorn. I was then eventually told that I could not bring food into the arena. I was shy back then, so it was kind of like whatever you know. But thinking back on it, I don’t get it.
Why am I not allowed to bring in my own food? Why are you preventing me from feeling as if I can enjoy the game in my own respective way? Like I’m not trying to avoid spending money on the food at your arena by bringing in my own. I’m simply unable to eat and purchase anything there because I have severe food allergies. That’s it.
My mom has always been really good at trying to keep me safe. Airborne traveling is something that we have always taken extra seriously, especially when I was younger. Something we used to do was ask the flight desk if our family could board first, along with those in wheelchairs, elderly, and others with disabilities so we could wipe down the seat and area I would be sitting in to prevent an exposure to any allergens. There have been occasions when I’ve been declined that request to board early. Whatever their reason may be, they wouldn’t let us. I don’t get it.
Why can I not board a couple minutes before everyone else to make sure the space I’m sitting in is safe? Like I’m not trying to cut the line and get on the plane first. I just want to wipe down everything in my vicinity to ensure I am safe. That’s it.
What I am trying to say is that a lot of people don’t get it, and that is completely understandable. I believe a lot of people don’t understand the severity of food allergies, and how life threatening this condition is. But the reality is, people like me need to feel as if they are safe and included. We need to feel as if society wants to ensure that we are safe and considered in everyday life.
I’m not asking for people to go out of their way and change their lifestyle to accommodate people with food allergies. I just want everyone to understand that we are like everyone else. We just can’t eat certain things, and hopefully that can be understood. With that understanding, I hope there comes more awareness about how we as individuals in society come upon decisions in our everyday life, and how that may affect individuals with food allergies.
The reality is, a lot of people including myself sometimes shy away from sharing that we have food allergies, and I hope this is something we can change.
