Bury St Edmunds mum shares struggles of keeping on top of daughter’s allergies after life-threatening reaction
A Bury St Edmunds mum has spoken on the daily struggles of keeping on top of her daughter’s allergies following a severe reaction earlier this year.
Danielle Nicholson’s daughter, Naomi, was rushed to West Suffolk Hospital in March after she suffered a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction to peanut butter when she was seven months old.
She was given four EpiPens, a last-resort infusion, and had an ICU on standby.
Since the incident, Danielle, 29 and her husband Sam, 30, have faced countless hospital admissions, overnight stays, allergy tests, trials and exposure appointments.
Naomi has now been diagnosed with allergies to eggs, dairy, peanuts, peas, and tree nuts.
Following Anaphylaxis Awareness Week, which ended on Tuesday, Danielle has shared how difficult it has been for her and Sam as they’ve had to research allergies to help protect Naomi as best they can.
“Time which should be filled with the joy of introducing new foods has sadly been filled with challenges and uncertainty,” she said.
“We have no history of allergies in the family so we’ve had to learn it all ourselves. It’s an everyday fear and it has taken a really massive toll on us — waiting if and when a reaction is going to happen.”
Danielle and Sam have to triple check food label packaging to ensure it does not contain Naomi’s allergens or ‘may contain’ which massively limits what she can eat.
The pair also have to carry a medical kit everywhere and plan trips ahead to make sure a hospital is nearby in case of an emergency.
Danielle wants to raise further awareness around food allergies and believes much more needs to be done to ensure those living with them feel safe and supported.
She said: “The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation and Kitt Medical already do incredible work, pushing for clearer allergy labelling as well as campaigning for compulsory emergency EpiPen kits in schools to protect children at risk of anaphylaxis.”