Fast forward a year and he was given a “nut challenge” for hazelnuts in hospital. At first, the nuts didn’t seem to be affecting him too much - he complained of a strange sensation in his mouth but the nurse explained that this could be him simply not liking the taste. He was given several doses of nuts but the challenge was stopped when he complained of stomach ache and hives appeared. About half an hour later, he was violently sick and then started coughing. His blood pressure also lowered at this point. He was given an initial shot of adrenalin but this didn’t seem to have much effect. By this point, we were in a very scary situation. The decision was made to give a second shot of adrenaline. Although he seemed to stabilise, he was covered in a very severe rash by this point all over his body. There was much discussion  by the doctors about whether he needed more adrenaline, however that was not administered - he was given intravenous steroids instead.

There wasn’t room for Henry on the High Dependency Ward so he was moved to a General Children’s Ward. I stared at him all night and by around 5am the following morning, the most wonderful thing happened; his rash started to settle and he began to look more like my Henry.  He was discharged later that morning and we have, naturally, avoided all food that contained nuts or “May contain” nuts. 

After what Henry went through, we are desperate to help Anaphylaxis UK to raise money to try to find a cure/ treatment for those with severe allergies and to support families in any way possible. Henry has a wonderful daddy, big sister and little brother and we’re all going to do our best to raise as much money as possible 💪  I have run a marathon before but am in no way built for such distances! I am determined to make it around one way or another if it means raising money for this amazing cause.

We will be so grateful for any donations, no matter how small.

Anaphylaxis UK

The Anaphylaxis Campaign is the only UK wide charity solely focused on supporting people at risk of severe allergic reactions.Anaphylaxis (pronounced ana-fill-ax-is) is a severe and life-threatening allergic reaction that can be fatal. Severe symptoms such as a swollen tongue, difficulty breathing or becoming unconscious usually develop suddenly, often within minutes after being exposed to an allergy trigger such as a particular food, latex, insect stings or certain drugs.