AS I hugged my dad, my voice went hoarse, then I struggled to talk – it felt like I was suffocating. Terrified, Dad quickly administered my EpiPen, while Mum called an ambulance.
I was rushed into intensive care at St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey, suffering from anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction.
The EpiPen had already reduced my throat swelling, opening up the airway.
But it took longer to get my breathing under control, so I was hooked up to oxygen.
Then my dad John, 62, hugged me a second time and suddenly the allergic reaction started again. I couldn’t breathe and my face and lips swelled up.
It was only later that day in the autumn of 1998 that my mum Yvette, 66, realised that Dad had recently changed his aftershave, and it must have been this that had sparked the reaction.
There was almond oil in it, but my dad didn’t realise because the ingredients weren’t in English.
People who don’t have allergies don’t understand how serious that can be – it could cost somebody their life.
My parents first realised I had allergies when I was two. I ate a cookie at nursery and collapsed.
My throat and face swelled up and I stopped breathing. I was rushed into intensive care, and they were beside themselves with worry.
After multiple tests, we found out I was allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, chickpeas, lentils and more.
I was given an EpiPen Junior, and from then on Mum was super-careful.
I wasn’t allowed to go to birthday parties, and didn’t like school as I was so embarrassed about my allergies.
I also felt scared all the time, especially after someone put walnuts in my pockets once for ‘a joke’.
By the time I turned eight in 1998, I’d already had 14 life-threatening reactions, and as I got older, the worry continued.
I was even hospitalised after drinking a tequila cocktail while a student at the University of Northampton. I still have no idea what was in the drink to make me react.
All I know is my food choices are the difference between life and death.
People who don’t have allergies don’t understand how serious that can be – it could cost somebody their life
Growing up, dating with allergies was brutal. Imagine being 16, getting butterflies before a first date, and then blurting out: ‘By the way, have you eaten peanuts, tree nuts or sesame? Because if you have, I can’t kiss you.’
Or to fear holding someone’s hand because you could actually end up in hospital from something they’ve touched.
It put people off. Some said I was crazy, others laughed, or said I was being over the top and that it couldn’t be that bad, which just made me want to hide my allergies even more.
When my husband Matthew and I got together in August 2006, it was different.
We were friends first, working together at Waitrose, and he accepted my allergies as part of me. I finally felt safe.
Eating out is still tough. I’ve been turned away from restaurants or asked to sign a waiver.
Friends can also get frustrated when we spend half the evening hunting for somewhere safe to eat. I feel guilty, even though it’s not my fault.
I’ve been blocked from boarding a plane after I declared my nut allergy, and one airline even made me sit near the toilet with a blanket over my head to keep me safe, as a flight diversion for a medical emergency can cost the airline £600k.
WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON FOOD ALLERGIES?
APPROXIMATELY 44 per cent of people in Britain have an allergy or allergic disorder of some kind, says the charity Allergy UK.
Rates are higher in under-35s and lowest in pensioners.
The most common food allergies, according to the NHS, are:
- Cow milk
- Eggs
- Peanuts
- Nuts, such as walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews, pistachios and Brazil nuts
- Soy beans, chickpeas and peas
- Shellfish
- Wheat
You may be allergic to a food if it makes you feel dizzy, lightheaded, sick or itchy, brings you out in hives or swollen lips or eyes, or causes diarrhoea, vomiting, a runny nose, cough, breathlessness or wheezing.
To help raise awareness, I talk to children in schools about allergies, and many parents and kids ask me for advice on travelling on Instagram.
Simple changes, such as removing sesame oil or nuts from a dish, could make food safer, and it tastes just as good without it.
That knowledge led me to create my own food line, Creative Nature. No one should have to worry they could die from eating a snack.”
