Settling into a quiet table with a view, no kids, responsibilities or deadlines, just precious time to enjoy date night, I took my glasses off to the read the menu at the same exact time my hubby grabbed his reading glasses. I smirked at how silly we looked until the mother of all comparisons hit me like a lightning bolt!
We both need glasses and have impaired vision. I can see close, but not far away. Hubby can see far away, but not close. Food allergies work the same way, yet our society is trying to solve the food allergy riddle with a single answer.
We’ve been diagnosed in the same manner using similar tools by our allergists, but our personal health conditions and food allergies are fully unique.
Our allergens are different and how we respond is equally unique. My kids have asthma, which escalates their food allergic reaction. Some people go into anaphylaxis over shellfish or milk being cooked in closed in areas, while others do not. Toddlers and college students manage food allergies quite differently. When my son was in 2nd grade, he could self-carry is life-saving epinephrine auto-injector. We would have deemed unfit parents if we allowed my daughter to self-carry at that age
Food allergy management is so distinct, yet I am watching our society attempt to sort out food allergies into a one size fits all category. Don’t get me wrong, there are some areas that are global, such as epinephrine is the drug of choice to stop a reaction, carry two epinephrine auto-injectors, the faster the delivery of epinephrine effects a positive outcome.
Yet, I am seeing actions, like the National Peanut Board’s recent USA Today ad, which has tossed them into hot water these days, for their piece aimed at, well, I am truly not sure what they were trying to accomplish. It looks like they were trying to convince Southwest Airlines to keep serving peanuts, I am not fully sure. Along the way, the NPB insulted many as they tried to use a one size fits all approach, by focusing on topics they believe in black and white terms. I wish managing food allergies were that simple, but they are not.
Food allergies are not one size fits all.
Complex health conditions require complex solutions. It’s that simple. So, the next time someone mentions a food allergy, please pause, refresh your mind as and ask the person standing before you, how do they manage and what support can you offer. Approach them as the unique human that they are. It’s easier than you think and the reward is life-saving, literally.
Knowledge combined with compassion makes a society unstoppable.
One of the hardest things I find about managing both life threatening food allergies and asthma is talking to others. I hate to be the one that might be perceived as demanding, pushing or for asking too much. What I now know, fourteen years later, is that honest, clear information presented with kindness works!..
Great read. This is truly the complexity of this health issue . Beautifully written.