As the spring season rolls around, seasonal allergies come front and center in many people’s lives. But allergies are not limited to spring and can affect people year-round. Allergies come in many forms; people can be allergic to food, medicine, materials, animals, and plants, and these allergies can vary in severity.  

Seven years ago, senior Angie Garcia discovered that she is allergic to shrimp. Garcia takes care not to eat anything that has shrimp mixed in it but is overall not too impacted by the allergy. 

“It doesn’t affect my everyday life too bad, but it was my favorite seafood to eat, so it’s a bummer,” Garcia said. 

Eating a food that one is allergic to can be a very risky endeavor, but for Garcia this was a risk she was willing to take.  

“My mom had brought shrimp cocktail home, and I wanted a bite so bad [that] I decided to take two adult Benadryl’s,” Garcia said. “Let’s say I don’t remember the rest of the meal, and my boyfriend had to carry me to the couch because I passed out on the table.” 

Garcia was not always allergic to shrimp. As a child, Garcia lived in Miami and frequently ate shrimp and seafood, until one day she reacted poorly to it. 

“[One common misconception is] many people think you have to be allergic to something since you were a baby in order to be allergic,” Garcia said. “Also, allergies can go away. It all depends on your body. Allergies don’t always stay with you your whole life.” 

Junior Annelyssa Destin suffers from a food allergy as well, but rather than shrimp, she is allergic to strawberries. Destin discovered her allergy after reacting negatively to strawberry lemonade. 

“I broke out into hives, and it [got] hard to breathe,” Destin said. 

Destin must avoid mixed fruit bowls, assorted gummies, and assorted chocolates and cannot enjoy the same sweets that others can. Destin even has to differentiate between artificial strawberry and the real fruit. 

“Once I ate a strawberry pop tart because I thought it was artificial,” Destin said. “I had a really bad reaction at school and had to use my EpiPen.”  

Although Destin has had the occasional allergic reaction, she is used to her allergy by now and knows what is okay to eat. For her, eating is not as difficult as others may think. 

“People often think [people with allergies] are difficult to eat out with, but most people have their allergies under control and can eat anywhere,” Destin said. 

Allergies can be severe, but it is not necessary to live in fear of them. Allergies can be kept under control as long as the necessary precautions are taken; this includes knowing what is and is not safe to eat, being aware of cross contamination, knowing how to use an EpiPen, and avoiding the allergen.