Be strong and let your voice be heard

By Liljia Polo-Richards

I often feel that, as a society, we have come a long way to be more understanding and more inclusive… in so many ways. 

Yet, discrimination and lack of sensitivity towards people with dietary conditions is still not very much talked about, and it’s often a silent topic. What do I mean by this? A lot of people suffering with food allergies and coeliac disease talk about their frustration in terms of how they are treated by restaurants, friends, family and even complete strangers. Yet, this is not a topic that is openly discussed by the media. 

We are sometimes made to feel as if this kind of medical condition is over exaggerated, an inconvenience, something not worth being considerate about. Ok, perhaps on the outside, someone suffering with coeliac disease or a food allergy, looks perfectly “normal”. I get it, you don’t have “I am coeliac” or “I have an allergy” written on your forehead. However, that is not the point. If you have told someone you have an allergy, those people owe you respect.

I still remember trying to organise food at my wedding, and my best friend’s partner told me he had a severe milk allergy. The first thing I did was to actually understand his condition, and as soon as he explained the severity of it, my first thought was to ensure he had safe food to eat at my wedding so he could have a great time. Never did I think he would simply need to adapt or eat whatever he could find on the day! 

Fast forward a few years, and I have my own son with a severe allergy. I never expect anybody to bend over backwards for me and my family. I simply know that for people to be my friends, or family members I want to spend time with, they have to respect my boy’s health condition and do what is right by him. Simple as that.

So when I meet someone with my son and they bring food that contains nuts and they don’t like me asking them to put their food away, I tell them how it is and ask them to do their research so they can appreciate my concerns and my worry. This has happened to me recently and has deeply upset me… and I genuinely asked that person to look up what it’s like to have an anaphylactic shock!

Next time you find yourself on the train, and they announce that peanuts (or whichever food that sets you off) are sold on that service, politely ask the train manager to remove them from the shop floor and explain the reasons behind your request. If someone sits next to you on the train or on the plane, and they are about to open a packet of peanuts, feel free to challenge them and explain the consequences of their actions. My friend did it once and when she told the other passenger that his holiday would be cancelled if she went into anaphylactic shock, he immediately put his food away! Funny how quickly some people can change their mind….

My advice to you is to be strong and always let your voice be heard. The stronger our voices, the louder our message becomes. Have a great day!