This week is Allergy Awareness Week, a time to shout out about allergies, and what it is like to live with them on a daily basis.
What happens when you have a diagnosis of allergies, how you learn to live with them, how to keep yourself and others affected by allergies protected, and what to do when a severe allergic reaction results in anaphylaxis.
Allergy UK are currently running the #livinginfear campaign. It provides all the information you need to help anyone with allergies, including what to do if you spot the tell-tale signs of a severe reaction. Check out this infographic for some fantastic information:
But did you know that it doesn’t stop there!
Allergy businesses and charities up and down the country are doing everything in their power to bring allergies to the fore. We are trying to get the message about allergies and how serious they really are to be truly understood.
Many things are helping!
The recent change in legislation back in December 2014, has resulted in all premises selling food, whether freshly made or packaged, to provide details of any of the top 14 allergens used. It is still early days, and there has been some resistance, but there are signs that eating out with allergies is improving.
The medical profession is beginning to realise the prevalence of allergies and how many more people are now presenting with serious allergic reactions in hospital – 20,000 attendances last year alone, with over 12,500 of those being an emergency situation!
Intolerant Gourmand are also doing what they can to increase understanding of allergies!
Aside from this blog, which provides lots of tips, tricks, things to look out for, allergy safe recipes, and more, we also work with a number of organisations to increase awareness of allergies, and provide better tools to teach people the importance of understanding the severity of them, and also how to live safely with allergies.
Callum’s story has featured in the press on 2 separate occasions, to raise awareness of what happens when allergies are left undiagnosed.
We have also been talking to ITV's 'This Morning' about the journey Callum has had to get him better!
We had the lovely Lynsey Evans (Features Editor) at our house on Monday, filming a VT of Callum and how he lives with multiple severe allergies on a daily basis. Callum was an absolute super star, showing Lynsey his special (huge) medicine cabinet, filled with all the drugs that keep him safe and well on a daily basis. He explained, unaided, in his very own unique way, how to use an epi-pen and also his inhalers that ‘keep me better if I’m really really poorly!’
He also helped to cook an allergy safe chicken noodle soup, and banana bread, for lunch, and was very proud to show them off to Lynsey!
I was so very proud of him. He showed his understanding of his situation, and educated at the same time, in the most adorable way!
There was a particular comment from Lynsey that really stuck with me, she mentioned that in spite of his constant daily battle to stay safe, and my continuing almost crippling fear of him having a severe reaction, he is totally unaware of my fear. She commented on how he is so happy, chilled out, and confident in his routines and knows that he is safe and protected.
That was truly wonderful to hear!
It’s my job to protect him with every fibre of my being, but to have acknowledged that my nightmare situation, my absolute fear, is not felt by him, means I must be doing something right!
We were due to be on the This Morning sofa with Philip Schofield and Amanda Holden today, but unfortunately some pretty high profile stories broke in the last 24hrs, which meant their schedule had to change and be altered.
But fear not!
We have been advised it will happen, we’re just not sure yet of a date! So, we will keep you posted!
Callum was very excited about going on a train to London to ‘see that man there on the telly, and talk to him about me being poorly!’.
He meant talking to Philip Scholfield!
He was in awe of the fact that he was a real life person, and not someone who lives ‘in’ the TV!
We very much look forward to meeting with you again soon ‘This Morning’, and in the meantime, thank you for a fabulous and fun day on Monday!
We got to show that living with severe allergies isn’t all doom and gloom, and that you can still get to have lots of fun too!
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