Gymnast Henry Fuller loves showing off his skills doing handsprings across the mats or front flips on the high bar. The 10-year-old even has his sights set on competing in the 2032 Olympics. But his path to fulfilling his dreams took a dispiriting tumble over a lack of food allergy accommodations.
Not to be deterred, his mother sought to find the way forward for the gifted young gymnast. In a story of overcoming obstacles, Henry and his family are about to embark on a hopeful new beginning – 1,100 miles due west.
But their story certainly doesn’t start there. “Last November, I was filled with anxiety and hopelessness,” Henry’s mom Angela Fuller tells Allergic Living.
In November 2024, an ongoing dispute over food allergy accommodations resulted in Henry leaving the North Carolina gym where he had trained since 2023.
Numerous attempts to minimize Henry’s exposure to his allergens on the equipment at Clemmons Gymnastics in Clemmons, North Carolina were unsuccessful, Fuller says. Her son is allergic to milk, egg, peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish.
Henry faced missing a competition season, along with leaving his coach and teammates. The two-time state champion had no idea what the future held.
“I realized that even if somehow we came to an agreement, the trust was so broken that it was not repairable. It was in all of our best interests to step away,” Fuller says.
Allergic Living reached out to the gym’s owner Nicole Leftwich. “Clemmons Gymnastics does not wish to comment on what we consider to be a private matter,” she said.
A Gift for Gymnastics
Now, the Fullers are making a big move to further Henry’s gymnastics training.
Henry, his mom, dad Darren, and older brother Holden will be leaving their home in North Carolina to move to Oklahoma this summer. He is joining the team at the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in Norman, Oklahoma, owned by Olympic champion gymnasts Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci.
Henry fell in love with gymnastics when he joined a class in the summer of 2021. “He needed an outlet for all that energy and fearlessness,” his mom says, noting that he had been doing front tucks off the couch. “It was evident in just a few short months that Henry had found his sport.”
By 2022, he had joined a team and quickly started earning medals. He ended his first competitive season as the North Carolina all-around champion in his division.
By his second competition season, he had joined the gym in Clemmons, where he continued to learn new skills, and worked with a coach he loved. He earned several first-place finishes during the season’s meets, and finished the 2023-24 season as state and regional all-around champ in his division.
His elite training track includes several hours a week of team practices, along with private lessons, and working on the gym equipment he has at home. The young gymnast, who is home-schooled, especially enjoys the high bar and floor events. Henry demonstrates some of his developing skills on Instagram and YouTube.
‘Thought We Were on Same Page’
The gymnast and his mom follow protocols to ensure Henry is safe from food allergens, while keeping up his stamina. Before practice he loads up on carbs with allergy-friendly granola bars. Henry brings his favorite meat sticks and chicken nuggets to eat after meets, once he washes his hands.
But exposure to allergens from other people’s food at the gym can upend his training routine, and thwart his focus before a match.
After Henry joined the Clemmons gym, Fuller asked that staff uphold the facility’s policy to prohibit food in the training area. She wanted to ensure residue would not be left on the mats and equipment.
“I had not asked them not to ever have food or allergens in the facility,” Fuller explains.
The gym’s owners assured Fuller that stock epinephrine was on site. They also asked her for a safe snack list when she raised concerns about a snack cart that served treats containing nuts and dairy during practice. “I thought we were on the same page,” Fuller says.
Trust Erodes, Reactions Happen
But the family’s trust soon dwindled. On multiple occasions they witnessed staff members eating snacks near the equipment, such as cheesy Goldfish crackers, which can leave dusty residue. Fuller says it was particularly frustrating to see staff members be the ones eating in the practice area.
Her concerns were not unfounded. Fuller says Henry suffered three allergic reactions after coming in contact with food residue at the Clemmons gym. While not anaphylactic, the reactions caused him to break out in hives, and he had to take antihistamines.
Efforts to work with the owners to provide allergy accommodations dissolved in the fall of 2024. This was while the gym was planning to host a mock meet. Henry’s mom was concerned about where concession items would be consumed as meet attendees would be sitting around the equipment.
“I never asked them not to sell concessions,” says Fuller, who is president of the support group Food Allergy Families of the Triad.
When she believed the gym’s management was not providing reasonable accommodations for the mock meet, she turned to disability attorneys and advocates for advice. Fuller did not retain an attorney, but wrote a letter outlining suggested accommodations, citing disability law. Henry’s allergist also provided a letter.
The Fullers were hopeful when the owner posted signs that asked mock meet attendees to “refrain from eating and drinking in the team gym and practice area.” But then, she says, people did eat in the restricted areas, an unsettling distraction for Henry.
Olympians Provide Support
After the event, Fuller and the gym owner could not agree on what constituted reasonable food allergy accommodations. She says the two parties couldn’t even agree on terms of a meeting to discuss the protections.
Negotiations were at an impasse. Frustrated and feeling like the gym leaders showed “utter disregard” for Henry’s needs, Fuller realized it was time to move on. But the path forward was unclear.
She turned to her friend Valentina Gaylord for help. Gaylord, a global speaker, author of “Well Being” and a fitness entrepreneur, provided encouragement and guidance. Gaylord and her husband Mitch Gaylord, an Olympic gold medal gymnast, have two children with food allergies, and have advocated for the food allergy community.
“We understand all too well the daily anxiety, vigilance and advocacy that families like ours face,” the Gaylords told Allergic Living via email. “For a child to feel unsafe or unwelcome in a space meant to foster joy, discipline, and growth is simply unacceptable.”
While the family considered their options, Henry trained at a gym about two hours from their home. Fuller found refreshing the ease with which Triumph Gymnastics in Cary, North Carolina, accommodated Henry’s allergies. But the two-hour commute was not a long-term solution.
Respect for Food Allergies
The Gaylords recommended a few gymnastic facilities that they trust. These are led by “people who take immense pride in creating safe and world-class training environments.”
“They don’t just build champions – they nurture humans,” the Gaylords say.
One of those gyms is Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in Norman, Oklahoma. So the Gaylords reached out to their friends Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci on Henry’s behalf.
They quickly told Fuller that Henry would be welcome. “They took Henry’s allergies seriously. But they didn’t see any issue with accommodating them, since it is their policy to keep food off the floor,” Fuller says.
The reception Henry got at the Oklahoma facility reaffirmed Fuller’s faith that her son could safely enjoy the sport he loves.
“There was a moment where I questioned whether we ever find a place that respects food allergies in this sport,” Fuller recalls. “I feel much more comfortable now with him continuing in the sport.”
Oklahoma’s Gym Welcome Mat
When Henry and his mom visited the world-class gymnastics facility in Oklahoma in February, they were welcomed by Conner and the gymnastics coaches. “Each one of them made us feel valued,” she says.
Training with the coaches and interacting with the other athletes on the team during his weeklong visit was encouraging, Henry’s mom says.
After the visit, the Fuller family made the decision to move to Oklahoma by the summer. Henry will soon train and compete with Bart Conner Academy.
The new beginning brings exciting changes for the other members of Henry’s family, as well. His dad will transfer with his employer Costco Wholesale, while Henry’s mom will pursue a new venture with dōTERRA, the essential oils company. She is stepping away from more than 30 years as a dance instructor, but will continue to homeschool the young gymnast.
Henry’s older brother Holden, who is graduating from high school, will explore acting and screenwriting opportunities in Oklahoma. “He’s excited to start his next chapter of life,” Angela Fuller says.
Just a few months ago, Henry felt like his food allergies were not respected. He didn’t know how he would continue his gymnastics career. Now, the young gymnast is excited to vault into a new experience.
“Henry, and every child like him, should have the opportunity to chase their dreams without fear,” the Gaylords say.
Fuller is thrilled with the doors that have opened. She’s particularly excited by the opportunity for her son to train with Olympians, in pursuit of his dream in a sport he loves.
“I now see all the love and support the universe is providing us. I feel confident about the future.”
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