When people ask what she is allergic to, the answer is never short, and although it is not the truth, she responds with ‘everything,’ because that is how she often feels.
“I am allergic to apples, peaches, plums, cherries, peanuts, bunnies, cats, hay, grass and more, so pretty much everything,” Rachel Brand, junior, said.
The least of Rachel’s concerns is fruit because although she cannot eat the fruit itself, she can eat alternatives such as applesauce or cherry pie. For Rachel, eating an apple would not be fatal, but she would usually have an itchy throat afterward.
She often avoids animals she is allergic to, but if she accidentally encounters one, she usually experiences sneezing and itchy eyes. All of these symptoms can usually be treated with Benadryl, but she tries to stay away from animals as much as possible. Susan Brand, Rachel’s mother, said some circumstances are harder to avoid than others.
“It’s mostly a challenge when we go to parties and events like that because we don’t know the origin of the food,” Susan said.
On top of not knowing the origin of food, one allergy Rachel cannot easily avoid is grass because she plays field hockey.
“I usually just go home and shower right away to get the grass off of me, but sometimes I still break out in hives,” Rachel said.
Because of the common allergies Rachel has, her tolerance for grass is very high, and her allergies do not stop her from playing field hockey.
Unlike grass, her most fatal allergy is peanuts. When Rachel has an allergic reaction to peanuts, her throat swells and it becomes difficult for her to breathe. Whenever Rachel accidentally eats a peanut or any food that contains peanuts, she needs her EpiPen to survive the allergic reaction. EpiPens are auto-injectors used to fight life-threatening allergic reactions in a short time. Most people who suffer from severe allergies carry EpiPens with them at all times in case of a surprise allergic reaction.
Although coping with her allergies is not easy, Susan said Rachel deals with them in a strong and healthy way.
“I admire her for still doing what she needs to do every day,” Susan said. “She is really responsible for her allergies and doesn’t let them get in the way of her life.”
