Page 93 - The Ultimate Guidebook for Teens with Food Allergies

the class and to look at the samples of food that she had brought in. I felt a lot of pressure up there in front of everyone to decide about whether I could eat these samples or not. These items were from a deli, so the labelling was already rudimentary and absent on some items. I really wanted to fit in and feel normal for once. And I felt an enormous amount of pressure to make the decision quickly so that the class could begin. Ultimately, I decided that I could probably eat the food.
After eating some of the samples of food, I began to have a reaction. I notified the teacher immediately that I was having airway and throat symptoms. This was when the teacher made her second mistake. She sent me down to the office, alone, while a reaction was happening. In this situation, she completely ignored the school policy and my emergency plan. She provided food that was not approved, put me in the really awkward position of having to decide what was safe without all of the information required, and then she sent me down to the office in a huge school without any attempt to help treat the reaction or notify anyone that I was in need of medical attention.
There were several meetings involving the teacher, the school principal, and my parents following this situation. The events were examined to determine what mistakes were made and why my emergency plan and the school district policy were not followed. I think the teacher learned a great deal through this process and I hope she would act differently given the same sort of situation. What I want others to learn from this story is that you, as a young person, have to know what the steps of your emergency plan are and, if you feel you are having an allergic reaction, you need to "own your plan" and carry out the steps (whether or not the adults around you “get it” or not). That is to say, give yourself your epinephrine and direct someone to call an ambulance. Don't let others delay your emergency plan and treatment through their lack of knowledge. However, I realized the important lesson that I should not have eaten the food in the first place.
Double Checking Everything, and Everyone, by Caiti
I have always felt safe when it came to family members preparing food for me. Since I was diagnosed with severe allergies to milk, eggs, nuts, and peanuts at a young age, my family has always been very aware of the severity of my allergies. One thing that never occurred to me, however, was how family members may become forgetful as they age.
My grandparents have always baked for me for as long as I can remember. From cakes to cookies, they had built up a recipe book of allergy-safe baked goods. However, one afternoon, I was eating a Rice Krispy square my grandpa had made when my throat began to tingle. I immediately questioned what was in the square and my first thought was a possible cross-contamination situation. When I asked my grandpa to quickly review what he put in, he revealed that he might have used the wrong margarine. We went to the fridge and found that the margarine container he had used looked very similar to the margarine that is safe for me. The one used, however, was not safe. As the reaction got worse, I took my epinephrine and had him drive me straight to the hospital.
I knew my grandpa felt extremely bad about what he had done. However, I also took some responsibility for this. Knowing how the elderly can struggle with things like eyesight and remembering to read the