Raising Food Allergy Awareness Through True Stories: Brooklin's Journey

At Allergy Apparel we believe that people sharing their experiences is one of the best ways to educate, share wisdom and bring awaressness to food allergies.  Brooklin, who will attend Clayton State University this upcoming fall, shares her journey and how advocating for herself has helped her grow and advocate for herself and others. 

I’m passionate about food allergy awareness because I know what it’s like living in a world not made for people with needs like mine. When more people are aware of how difficult living with food allergies can be, the safer the world becomes. A person shouldn’t have to live in constant fear of something as important as food. 

I was an avid reader as a kid. I enjoyed looking through the CPR fact sheets and food safety in my elementary school cafeteria, eventually memorizing the words on them every time I walked through the lunch line. Though I had no clue these skills would come to save my life regularly. My nut allergy was discovered when I was young, causing me to develop more of an awareness earlier than most did. Reading handwashing signs at the back of the school kitchen turned into compulsively scanning through ingredient lists on the back of snack boxes. I could rehearse the instructions on my EpiPen better than the steps it took to divide fractions. My food allergy turned school into more than just an academic challenge.

My school experience was different from the start. I avoided certain lunch tables in elementary school because I knew which kids always brought peanut butter sandwiches or crackers. I had a list of food I didn’t let myself eat at school parties and celebrations because I knew there was a real chance of getting sick from them. It got tiring explaining to teachers and adults around me the extent of my food allergy. Others just assumed I could do 'a little bite,' when that was simply not the case at all. But my persistence in those times of frustration formed the foundation for the self-advocacy that I was later able to develop.

I had learned to be resourceful by the time I was in high school and how to take care of myself. I learned a well rounded diet aside from the foods that I was not able to eat and how to decipher food packaging when it comes to allergen data. I knew my limitations and made them opportunities to learn independently. I studied cooking as a course to understand more about how restaurant kitchens treat food and how they prepare for food allergies.  That knowledge helped me communicate my boundaries with restaurant staff within their understanding.  Socially, I let my friends and everyone around me know more about what it was like to have food allergies. This is something that few know, but so many are going through the same struggles as me.

I now hold a belief that education doesn’t purely involve textbooks.  It requires empathy, communication, and making a more inclusive environment for everyone. I want to help create a future using the skills that I have learned because of my food allergies.  My food allergies have helped me to plan, adapt and advocate; skills that I want to help others gain, especially those who need someone to give them courage. I am requesting you not just as a student, but as somebody who's been forced to figure out how to learn differently. I want to lead with awareness, something I will keep searching for in college and in life.