A Terrifying Moment - His First Reaction

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By Rebecca C.

It was a week before my son's third birthday when our lives changed. Nicholas had had some problems with asthma, but was always able to eat anything, including all kinds of nuts. It was a Friday night and I was eating a pecan sundae. Nicholas asked for a bite. I gave him two bites, and then he shook his head that he didn't want anymore.

He started to cough. I didn't think anything of it. Then he vomited. Still, I thought nothing. I carried him to the bathroom, and started to spray his feet off. As I looked up, my heart dropped – his face was swollen, his little eyes were like slits. He was gasping for air, and I panicked!

Though I'd never seen this before, this little voice inside of me screamed that his airway was closing and that we needed help now. My dad called 911. Luckily for us, the ambulance was there within minutes. My poor Nicholas was gray and sweaty. He was gasping for breath and hives had broken out all over his body. He didn't have the strength to fight.

They administered epinephrine and off to the hospital we went. After a night in the pediatric intensive care unit, a blood test showed Nicholas has a severe allergy to pecans and walnuts. We now have to carry an epinephrine auto-injector everywhere and read the labels on everything. We've been advised to stay away from all tree nuts and peanuts. Nicholas will now wear a medical identification tag, so that others are aware of his allergies if this happens again.

I never gave food allergies a second thought. Now I am motivated to make people aware of how serious food allergies can be – that they can be life-threatening. In Nicholas’s case, that's what we are managing. As scary a thought as that is, it's reassuring to know that he is not the only one facing this challenge. Until Nicholas is old enough, I will have to be his voice, and believe me, this mama bear will fight for her cub!