The Inside Source

by Giulia, age 16. Allergic to peanut, tree nuts, wheat, soy, shellfish, and sesame.

With all the buzz about food allergies going around, many curious people head to the older children for information because we not only speak in full sentences, unlike our 3-year-old counterparts, but we also have more experiences, stories, and insight, for obvious reasons.

My latest interview came while I was making T-shirts for a Harry Potter movie premier. It was with an author who is writing a book about teenagers and food allergies. It was quite fun, really; I was covered in paint, and we were hiding in my basement so that we wouldn’t be distracted by eight Harry-Potter-crazed teenagers. She asked me all types of questions, ranging from my worst reaction (I was 12 years old and in a steakhouse) to my daily troubles (unable to be spontaneous). We even talked about what I thought was the worst problem with my “situation” (which is mainly that people are so ignorant about food allergies). After about a half-hour and a great deal of talking on my part, we ended the interview, and I went back to drawing wizards in fabric paint.

For me, I love the whole setup of interviews. Not only because I just like to talk, but I like being able to help support those who have food allergies in my own way – sharing my mishaps and thoughts with someone who, through their work, can spread awareness and education. And as we all know, education is the key.