I would like to extend a warm welcome this 4th of July weekend to the Wheaton family from Cranbrook, British Colombia. Littler Teri Wheaton has quite a few allergies, with her most severe being to peanuts and cats. Teri's mother, Laura, is a true fighter and advocate for Teri's safety each and every day. Below is my interview with Laura, where she talks about the struggles of raising a daughter with so many allergies, and how they, together, overcome any obstacle that is in their path. Although we don't have a picture to go along with this week's post, I am confident that the content alone is enough to tug at your heartstrings.
Me: Who in your family has an allergy, how old are they, and what are they allergic to?:
Laura: My daughter Teri has allergies to Peanuts/Tree nuts, Cats, some species of Dogs, Horses and possibly birch or springtime allergens. I haven't seen evidence of these last ones though. She is 11 yrs old and was diagnosed with the peanut/cat/dog allergy when she was 3 1/2 and the horse/birch allergy when she was 10.
Me: What is your biggest fear when dealing with the allergy?:
Laura: With Teri's peanut allergy, my biggest fear is that someone else won't take it as seriously as she and I do. She's going to her father's this summer for the first time and I'm worried that he won't let her check the labels on packages or that he'll tell her something is peanut free because he doesn't want to be bothered to look. I'm worried that because of that, she'll end up going hungry or she'll feel pressured into eating something she's allergic to, just to please them. With her animal allergies, she can have an asthma attack and I worry that if she doesn't have an inhaler available that she will have a full blown asthma attack and be rushed to the hospital. Basically, I worry a lot!!
Me: How does the allergy affect you on a daily basis?:
Laura: I'm constantly in a state of anxiety. Anytime she's about to do something out of the norm, there's the flurry of warnings to the appropriate people and the last minute checking to make sure we have the epi-pen handy. We have to weigh the pros and cons of her going to sleepovers because if they have cats, she can't go. Going to restaurants involves doing online checks to see what foods we can or cannot have. It involves us having to talk to wait staff to make sure nothing comes in contact with peanuts. It's amazing how "inconvenient" that seems to be for some restaurants. I loved peanut butter and ate it every day all my life but because of her allergy, I've had to give that up. I grew up with pets my entire life and because of her allergy, I can't have anything other than a budgie as a pet.
Me: Have you or your loved one ever had a reaction?:
Laura: The only reaction Teri ever had to peanuts was her initial one when she was 3 1/2. I gave her a peanut butter sandwich, as I had almost every day and this one particular day she only ate a quarter of the sandwich and said her lip hurt and felt funny. When I looked at it, I noticed it was a little swollen. She complained about it a half hour later and I checked again and this time the lip was swollen considerably into her mouth. It went down after about a half an hour but I chose not to give her anymore peanut butter and we got her checked out a few months later, where she was diagnosed with the allergy.
Me: What has having an allergy taught you about yourself or being a parent?:
Laura: I've learned as a parent to be my daughter's strongest advocate. Other people don't take the allergy as seriously as Teri and I do. An excellent example of that was when she was in grade 1 at school. A little girl she knew gave her a cookie and assured her there were no peanuts in it. Teri ate it and the girl asked her immediately how she felt. When Teri told her she felt fine, the girl said "oh cuz I accidentally gave you a peanut butter cookie". Teri was rushed to the principals office where she sat for a half hour while they monitored her but fortunately she had no reaction, other than to say the roof of her mouth tingled. They sent her back to class!! and I got a call a half an hour after the fact!! (to this day I don't know if the girl was lying or just really evil) I was livid that a peanut butter cookie could even get into the school but the principal was very defensive and tried to blame Teri for accepting the cookie in the first place. I lit into her like nobodies business. While it didn't change their policies around allowing peanut products into the school, they knew that I wasn't going to be a doormat about my daughter's needs.
Me: What advice can you give to anyone who is dealing with an allergy?
Laura: Don't let the allergy define you. Don't be afraid to try new things or new foods as long as you're vigilant about knowing whats in it. Educate everyone around you about how to spot signs of an allergy. Never go anywhere without your epi-pen and always remember that just because you have this allergy, it doesn't make you any less of a person.
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