I ‘assumed’ I’d be safe eating at the restaurant without my epi auto-injector. And then suddenly, a severe allergic reaction.

Through minor reactions and having to go hungry, I learned that managing allergies on a road trip requires more work than I realized.

I have EoE, a food allergy that’s so tough to define. Fortunately, my efforts to explain it – even to puzzled servers – are getting better.

For a teen, food allergies are hard. There’s the food you can’t have, the allergy ‘jokes,’ the anxiety. Will things get better? Well, I can say, they do.

It was a shock to learn that nuts had become a staple of my family’s diet. Back from college for COVID-19, I had to be on alert.

Beware the food allergy perils in boozy parties and hook-ups. But you can find a date who finds you interesting, allergies and all.

Mere weeks after in-flight anaphylaxis, I would fly to Europe for a internship. I was panicked, but I did it – and the trip was life-changing.

My dating life got off to a truly awkward start due to food allergies. Fortunately, allergies didn’t phase my future husband.

My daughter was given her big moment to sit face-to-face, with the bully. “I wanted to show him – he didn’t have the power.”