Nathaniel's Story

My one piece of advice to other parents going through this is to trust your gut instinct. If you think it is an allergy, get advice, seek help.

As a baby, my daughter was allergic to eggs and dairy , now eight years old, she has allergies to trees, pollen and horses.

My son, Nathaniel (2) also has allergies to dairy and eggs but they are much more serious. His symptoms include asthma and eczema and he has been in hospital three times so far requiring an oxygen mask. Other symptoms include projectile vomiting and hives appearing all over his body.

As a baby I took him to the GP and health visitors so many times but the waiting list for allergy tests was eight months. He lost so much weight in this time that we had to go private. Once diagnosed; he was given specialist milk to help him.

I wanted to raise money for Allergy UK because I was so desperate for help as a parent and so worried. It’s so hard to get a diagnosis and advice! The lack of sleep is horrible and I lost so much of that precious first year with him in a constant state of worry and despair. He would tear himself to bits scratching and itching. Allergies are incredibly serious.

The help Allergy UK offer people living with allergy and the work they do to raise awareness is fantastic. I would love to support other parents of young children going through this.

My one piece of advice to other parents going through this is to trust your gut instinct. If you think it is an allergy, get advice, seek help. Don’t just experiment at home with cutting things out. Do whatever you can to get a diagnosis, even if you think you know, it will give you such peace of mind to know for sure.