Page 100 - The Ultimate Guidebook for Teens with Food Allergies

independent. And to do so usually means striking a good balance between demonstrating our abilities and having consideration for our parents’ concerns.
When things go right
Handling Problems on My Own, by Chelsea
Two years ago I started my first year of college and went to a school that was 2 hours away from home. This meant that I wouldn’t be living with my parents anymore or have their protection when it came to my allergy. Living in residence, I had to get a meal plan and eat food from the caf instead of making my own food in my room. When going to the cafeteria, I realized that nothing was going to be peanut-free and that I would not be able to eat. This upset me a lot because I was hoping that something would go right while I was away from home. I also thought I had no choice but to pay for the meal plan (which meant I wasted $800). I went and talked to the person in charge of the cafeteria and she came up with multiple excuses about why they couldn’t guarantee my safety. I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat there ever and I wanted my money back. She told me to go talk to the person in charge of residence and see if it was possible. After making an appointment, I sat down with him and told him my problem and what I wanted. He understood the situation and told me a cheque would come in the mail for me with my full money back. I called my mom and told her what I had done. She was very proud of me and was glad I could handle things myself while being away from home.
Quick Tip - Taking over the things that your parents normally do isn’t easy. Remember that you can do things your own way as long as you don’t compromise your safety. You can, for example, ask about ingredients in a different manner at restaurants and have your own way of showing others how to use your auto-injector.
When things go wrong
Stay Focused, by Erika
I was at a very allergy-friendly restaurant in Montreal, Quebec. It keeps its kitchen free of the top 8 most
common food allergens. I was extremely excited to be going to this restaurant as I thought I would have
an easy and safe experience. Still, I ran through my list of food allergies, and mentioned the severity of
my allergies to ensure that they would take every possible precaution. I saw that they had bruschetta on
gluten-free bread and got excited! I had not had bruschetta in years since going gluten-free. I ordered it
as my appetizer and a steak for the main course. During this time, I was trying to maintain a
conversation with my tablemates.