Our Anaphylaxis Story

By Meaghan Grettano

My 9-year-old daughter Anna, my oldest child, has a severe peanut allergy. As a mom, I’ve had to tell this to hundreds of people over the years. School teachers and administrators. Camp counselors. Doctors. Fellow moms. Neighbors. The reactions from people have always varied. I’ve had people tell me that they feel so sorry for us. How horrible it must be to live with this. I’ve even had mothers roll their eyes and act totally inconvenienced, as if we were a disease that they did not want to be around. Yes, it’s true. My daughter has been un-invited over to people’s houses because they didn’t want to deal with her allergy.

It’s not all bad experiences though. Some parents and kids are very understanding and compassionate and accommodating of my daughter. One thing for sure is that handling her allergy and keeping her safe is a roller coaster of emotions on an almost daily basis. And while some people can be very understanding of all of this, some think I’m just being overprotective. Overreacting. Like somehow my daughter is inconveniencing them.

This week is Food Allergy Awareness Week and I think that is exactly what we need as a community of parents for this issue: Awareness. To bring some awareness, I thought it’d be best to share my family’s anaphylaxis story.

My daughter Anna was 19 months old when she had her first peanut butter and jelly sandwich. At the time I was nine months pregnant with her little brother. We were at home that day, Anna and I. She was sitting in her booster seat in the kitchen and I served her the sandwich for lunch.

As she started to eat, I stood at the kitchen sink, about ten feet away, doing dishes. I immediately noticed something strange. She was indeed eating the sandwich, but was also scratching around her chest and neck. A lot. I immediately went over to her and pulled the collar of her shirt down to see what was happening. Her skin in this area was slightly red although it did not seem alarming. I sat down next to her and watched for just another few seconds and then it hit me.

I wonder if she is having a reaction to the peanut butter?

Honestly, it took a moment for this thought to set in because I never would have thought in a million years that she’d be allergic. I did not know anyone with food allergies at that time. But here she was scratching away and it wasn’t getting any better. I took the sandwich away immediately and noticed a rash starting to form all around her neck and chest. I called her pediatrician’s office right away. A nurse got on the phone and I quickly explained what was occurring. She did not seem alarmed a bit. She told me to give Anna some Benadryl and she would probably be fine. Benadryl? Really? That answer didn’t sit well with me.

At this point, the itchiness and redness was all I saw. Anna was still scratching the area but did not appear to be uncomfortable or reacting in any other way. As soon as I got off the phone with the nurse though, I had a gut feeling that something was terribly wrong and that Benadryl was not going to cut it. I called my husband immediately, who was at work. I told him what was happening and he told me to put her in the car immediately and bring her to the emergency room.

What happened in the next ten minutes on the drive to the emergency room were by far the scariest moments of my life. Within a minute of getting in the car and beginning the short drive to the hospital, I noticed her symptoms beginning to worsen. I was watching her constantly through the rear view mirror and at this point, I was hysterical crying. Her neck and face were beginning to swell and it worsened with each passing moment; this was anaphylaxis. I could barely see through my tears as I kept a constant eye on her all while making sure I was getting us to the emergency room quickly and safely. That ride felt like eternity and I couldn’t help but wonder if we would make it there in time.

I flew into the hospital parking lot and drove up to the emergency room, where my husband, whose work was nearby, was waiting for us. I stopped the car and he reached into the back seat to grab her and ran her inside. By the time we arrived at the hospital, her face was completely swelled up. She was unrecognizable. Running in, our daughter in my husband’s arms, we demanded to see a doctor immediately. She was admitted to a room and was given an Epipen right away. We made it.

I cry as I retell this story today because my daughter’s anaphylaxis was the scariest moment I have ever lived through and I hope that no parent ever has to see that reaction in their small child. Today, we have Epipens on hand everywhere. At school. In my purse. In our kitchen. Every time one expires and I have to dispose of it, I thank God that I didn’t have to use it. I am thankful that since that first exposure when she went into anaphylactic shock at a year and a half old, we have kept her safe and away from nuts.

I do not tell our story for sympathy. I never want anyone feeling bad for my daughter or that we have to deal with this allergy. It is our reality and we just do what we have to do to be safe and find alternatives. It’s just our lifestyle and has been for many years now. Instead, I hope to raise awareness of this very serious allergy affecting approximately three million children today. No, I’m not an overreacting or overprotective mom trying to inconvenience the classroom party or birthday party. I am simply doing what I need to do to keep my child safe. And from one mom to another, isn’t that what we are all here to do?

Meaghan Grettano is a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, an allergy mom, and a food allergy blogger.