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The list of things she's allergic to are as long as her arm: chocolate, coffee, dairy, brinjal, baby marrow, kiwi, watermelon, mango, apples, peaches, pears, cherries, fish, most nuts and seeds, some spices and herbs, food additives, flavourings and colourings.
Mia Silverman from Boston in the US has more than 50 allergies that cause anaphylaxis – a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction which requires her to carry an EpiPen injection everywhere she goes to combat any reaction.
She hasn't let her condition suppress her appetite for life, though.
Mia (20) has taken her story to social media and has become a star on TikTok, calling herself TheAllergicgirl on the platform and racking up more than 118 000 followers and eight million likes.
“It’s great that I get to be a public figure for allergy awareness, which is something I never had growing up. I’m thankful that I get to find the positive in something that has been a negative for a lot of my life," she says.
Mia suffered her first allergic reaction at the age of two, when her dad bought her cookies with nuts.
“My throat immediately closed, my whole body was full of rashes and I was throwing up,” she recalls.
“It was so scary. When we got to the hospital they ran some tests and found I had all these other allergies.”
READ MORE| ‘I bring my own food to restaurants’: meet the Durban woman who has over 40 allergies
Thanks to her long list of allergies, she couldn't socialise with friends, attend birthday parties or eat out at restaurants without taking strict precautions.
She was also bullied throughout school, which affected her mental health.
“Kids would make fun of me and make jokes about sneaking nuts into my food to see what happens,” she says.
Her parents supported her when she was bullied and always went the extra mile to ensure she wasn't exposed to any of her allergens.
“My mom’s cooking options were limited when I was a kid," she says. "She’s had to get food shipped to us, talk to the chef before we even go to a restaurant. There’s so much communication she’s had to do just to make sure I’m safe."
Mia and her parents have consulted with many allergists throughout the years, but her last doctor confirmed that she would live with them for the rest of her life.
To prevent allergic reactions she consumes steak, pasta and any other unprocessed foods.
Like Mia, Shivaika Sewlal from Durban in South Africa suffers from more than 40 allergies. When YOU spoke to her in 2021 she said she had to be careful about what she ate and which products she used.
"I have a range of pure shampoo and pure soaps which have no chemicals or fragrances. As far as food goes, I’ve found pasta made from beetroot, lasagna sheets made from rice and chocolate biscuits that have no eggs, no wheat, nothing – they’re made from rice and tapioca flour and that’s about it.”
Shiv uses social media to shed light on what it’s like to live with allergies. She has more than 540 000 followers and 53 million likes on Tiktok.
