I Panicked When My Son Was Diagnosed With A Life-threatening Allergy — But The Experience Taught Us All Important Lessons

When my kid was diagnosed with a life-threatening allergy, my family and community jumped into action.

Melissa Noble

• I was terrified when my son was diagnosed with a life-threatening allergy to almonds.
• He handled the diagnosis bravely, and our friends learned how to use EpiPens.
• He no longer has this severe allergy, but the experience made me so grateful for our community.

In July 2023, my 8-year-old son and I were having a smoothie together in our small town in Australia when he started to complain that his throat felt strange.

He kept on saying that his tongue felt like it was getting bigger, and I noticed he had a red rash down his chin. Our doctor referred us to an allergy specialist, and by October, he'd gotten a skin-prick test.

It revealed one of my worst fears: Our son had a life-threatening allergy to almonds.

Our whole world changed instantly

Allergies such as this can cause anaphylaxis, and symptoms can include difficulty breathing, coughing, fainting, severe stomach pain, and tongue or throat swelling — just like my son experienced.

If not treated immediately, anaphylaxis can be fatal. As I sat there listening to the prognosis, I couldn't believe it. No one in our families had ever had a severe allergy that we knew of, and I didn't know much about them at all.

The pediatric allergist gave us a referral for an EpiPen (an auto-injector used to treat life-threatening, allergic emergencies), issued us with an action plan about what to do in the event of exposure, and said she'd see us in 12 months.

Those first few weeks after the diagnosis, I had terrible anxiety about the situation. I cried often and had nightmares about my son having a bad reaction.

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We began carrying an adrenaline injector and antihistamines with us every time we left the house. When my son ate something new, we'd check the labels meticulously for almonds in any form.

Grandparents were schooled in how to use an EpiPen. Friends offered to learn how to use one before a playdate, lest they should have to jab my son.

I started getting ahead of myself and worrying about the teenage years when my son might be drunk at a party and eat something without thinking or when he was older and traveling, unable to decipher ingredients in another language.

It was a rough period, but my son handled it all like a champ. He would religiously check every ingredient label himself, and he got into the habit of asking parents at birthday parties if the cake contained almonds.

After a year, it was time for the follow-up test

After 12 months of stress, we headed back to the allergy specialist for our follow-up appointment.

As I sat there watching my little boy's back flair up with a tapestry of different-sized welts (based on his reaction to the various skin-prick allergens), I felt terrified. What would this test reveal?

"That's interesting," the pediatric allergist said, just as my heart felt like it was going to leap out of my chest. "His almond reaction is half of what it was last year."

She suggested my son do an "almond challenge," in which they'd introduce small amounts of the nut into his system in a controlled setting. We agreed.

When the big day arrived, I asked my son how he felt. "I'm not scared, mummy," he said. "I'll be all right." As he drove with my husband to the allergist's office, I kept thinking how brave he was, even at such a young age.

That day, I could barely concentrate at work until my husband called with the best news of my life: Our son hadn't reacted.

Tears streamed down my face. I felt so overwhelmed with gratitude, but we still weren't quite out of the woods yet.

For seven days after, my son was instructed to eat a small amount of almonds a day at home and note any reactions. When there was nothing to report, he was given the all clear.

To mark a week of no reactions, I gave my son my full blessing to give his former arch-enemy — the almond — the middle finger, and our family had a good chuckle.

We found a silver lining in a stressful experience

Only a very small percentage of children with an allergy to tree nuts outgrow them. It seems my son was one of the lucky ones (or maybe there was another reason his initial skin-prick test was so elevated, we'll never know for sure).

A severe allergy diagnosis really does rock your world, and I feel for others who have to navigate those turbulent waters. Through this experience, though, I learned a lot about the value of true community and friendship.

Our friends made separate cakes just for our son, checked ingredient lists like forensic detectives, and stepped up when given an EpiPen to potentially use.

I also realized that bravery comes in all shapes and sizes and that we can often learn so much from our children. When presented with a scary situation, my young son faced it with courage — perhaps we could all use a little more of that.