I have never understood the concept of degrading or belittling someone over an aspect of their life they cannot control, yet I experience the cycle of bigotry and ignorance first hand. My severe food allergies alienate me from my peers, making me a target of arrogance.

 

From my earliest memories, my food allergies have been my largest inconvenience. Since my peanut and tree nut allergy diagnoses at the age of two, I have socially struggled. In life, trust is the key unlocking the doors to friendship and success. To my disadvantage, my allergies hinder my senses of trust, contentment, and reliability. As an allergic child, you can trust no one but yourself to keep you safe. This proved certain throughout my elementary schooling. I was forced to learn at a young age to speak up and educate others of my life-threatening allergies. It is easier said than done. Imagine a small child raising their voice to an adult, protesting inconsideration and disrespect towards impediments out of their control. That child was me, mostly directing my frustration to arrogant school faculty or restaurant employees. I never received much tolerance towards my accommodation inquires, though I did not stop persisting; I was the only one who would. As I grew older, the realization of ignorance grew more apparent, and my resentment followed close behind. My mind began to fluster with negative mentalities.

 

For a while, I felt guilty. I felt guilty my parents and friends couldn't enjoy the treats they wanted becuase I was allergic. I felt ashamed when we had to leave a restaurant becuase the staff couldn't accomadate to my allergies. I felt embarassed when I had to decline food at school or parties. I constantly felt self-conscious of my allergies. I wanted anything but to be allergic.

 

I dreaded social events. Friendships became more complicated and many were affected. After the destruction of several delicate bonds, I began to give up hope in my social life.

I felt so alone: so misunderstood until, finally, I met my best friend, Mariana. Her solicitude touched me. And, soon, after having enough of the straining ignorance and lack of empathy, I pondered an idea.

 

I approached Mariana with desire to found an organization entitled Nutties for a Change. It would highlight food allergy awareness, initiating efforts in prospects of eliminating allergy ignorance. She stood by me while I inaugurated this prospering organization, and without her, I do not know if I would have embarked on this beautiful journey of raising allergy awareness.

 

Reflecting on the past, there were many moments when I did not want to accept myself for my flaws, particularly my allergies. I did not realize the true beauty of life’s obstacles and how they ultimately empower me. Now, as I have matured, I do. I have grown to appreciate the opportunity I possess to model for not only myself, but others, as well. I have realized other's ignorance is not my fault, but I have the power to change it. I have accomplished more than I could  imagine, simply because I arose to the task of advocating for myself. I would not trade my experiences for the world!

 

I feel as though my online presence and membership of this community has done wonders for my outlook on the strength I hold within myself. It has also enabled me to discover my desire to positively influence others. I hope to motivate more young people to act upon their inclinations to advocate for whatever is important to them. But more importantly, I hope to influence confidence to those suffering from food allergies and teach them to have a strong mentality. We do not need to live our lives "suffering" from food allergies when we can live our lives conquering our battles. I hope to become the influential person I was always looking for in someone else as a child.  

 

 

 

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