Sneezing. Itching. Swelling. Anaphylactic shock. Allergies can escalate that quickly. People who have serious allergies, like "Karen," the author of "Aww Nuts," can suffer major consequences. "Karen" found out about her allergy at a friend's birthday party, and has stayed away from nuts ever since. I have experienced what she has experienced. She has gone through a terrifying allergic reaction, and I remember when I had one too. This piece hit me right in the heart. It was nice to know that someone has a serious allergy to something broad like nuts.
I remember when I was four years old and I was eating dinner with my family. I was calmly chewing a tuna burger when I got a cottony feeling in my moth. My throat was closing up and I couldn't breathe. The fact that I had asthma wasn't helping. Anyway, I started to heave and itch everywhere. I was slowly turning red, then purple, and my lips and fingers were blue. I stopped breathing. My parents immediately took me to the hospital and I got injected with an EpiPen. I was told to carry one around for the rest of my life, as well as my inhaler. I has a serious seafood allergy. No sushi. No Chinese takeout. Nothing. I was disappointed because I couldn't believe that I was allergic to my favorite food. "Karen" has gone through the same thing. Her piece states, "Eventually I learned how to deal with my nut allergy. I learned to read ingredients." "Karen" understands how difficult it is to deal with allergies, but it is manageable. I feel proud knowing that I'm not the only one with food restrictions. This piece created a window of understanding for me.