First Reaction in 14 Years

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My name is Keith and I am 15. I play football and run track. Those are some of the things you can see on the outside, but the one thing you can’t see is that I am allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. Most people know about it or have an idea, or just don’t care. I’m not writing this to inform or persuade or inspire you, I’m writing it to tell my story. And this is all me.

I have had these allergies all my life, dealing with the daily difficulties of severe allergies. Some of these difficulties are checking every label I see, constantly washing my hands, and “feeling” like I’m having a reaction every time I eat something. I had gone 14 years without having a reaction but unfortunately every streak comes to an end, as did mine.

I don’t remember any details about my first reaction, except for I was at a friend’s house helping her dad move some heavy rocks. When we finished, I decided to go for a swim to cool off and have something to eat. She suggested chicken nuggets and fries, and like every other time, I read the label and all was fine. When the food was ready, I scarfed all of mine and more down. A few minutes later, I decided to head home so I could hang out with other friends or relax. I was walking home and I started feeling itchy and uncomfortable, but I thought it was just because I was outside all day and was sunburned or something. As I got closer to home, the feeling increased and my cheeks felt like I was holding my breath. By the time I got home I had no idea what was going on, and I went inside and told my mom that I felt really weird. She told me to sit down and relax and it was because I was outside all day. But for some reason I couldn’t sit still, I tried to sit on the couch and focus on something else but I couldn’t. I kept getting up and pacing back and forth in the living room. At that point I could tell something was wrong, and for some reason the idea of a reaction never crossed my mind. Until my mom said those words none of us ever wanted to hear, “Honey, I think you’re having a reaction. Grab your EpiPen®s and let’s go.”

My mom, dad, and I all ran out to the car as fast as we could and headed toward the hospital. As I was sitting in the passenger seat, it was getting harder and harder to breathe. We were almost halfway to the hospital and my mom said that I needed to use my epinephrine auto-injector, and of course, I tried to fight her on it and say that we were almost there and I would be fine. At that point, I couldn’t breathe so I grabbed my epinephrine auto-injector off the console and used it. I heard mom counting in the back, “One, two, three,” all the way to 12. I held it in longer just to make sure I had got all the medicine. And almost instantly I could breathe again, as we skidded and squealed around the corner to the hospital. My mom and I ran inside and told them what was going on while my dad parked the car and signed in. The nurse took me back into the emergency room and immediately put an I.V. in my arm and told me everything was going to be okay. I looked at my dad and he nodded, and the scariest day got a little less scary.

I was there for almost five hours lying in a bed shaking because of the medicine. I would fall asleep and then wake back up, over and over until it was time to go.

After that reaction I was afraid to go anywhere or do anything that was out of my “safe zone.” I was scared to go to school because of all the risks and what could happen again. But I did and made it through half a day of school. I don’t like admitting this, but after my reaction I would go outside on the swing set and just sit there and pray and cry. I would pray for something good to come out of this, or for help with my day-to-day life. I got a lot of cards that made me feel so much better, but they also made me break down crying every time I saw them. Sometimes, I would go in my room and just lay there and cry until I got a hold of myself enough to go out and talk to people.

There is no one way or one word to describe what happened or how it felt, but I would advise everyone who has an allergy not to always ask “why me?” but to find something to help with or someone to mentor. Even though I haven’t done that yet, I am constantly looking to find a way to make my voice and millions of others heard. And trust me, I will find a way.

Now I am a healthy teenager living a normal teenager life. I play sports and hang out with friends and everything else normal people do. But the truth is, I’m not normal. I have a gift and I am going to use it so everyday life and everyday places are safer for people just like me.

There are also many people who have helped me and believed in me, mainly my mom, dad, and brother, and my WHOLE family. There are also those certain friends who I know I can count on if this ever happens again, and I thank them for that. It means a lot to me.

Editors Note: Prompt administration of epinephrine is key to successfully treating anaphylaxis. When in doubt, don’t delay, and use this medication.

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