Willow's Story

My name is Willow, and I am 11 years old. I was diagnosed with a milk and soya allergy at around 4 months old, followed by an egg allergy some months later. Thankfully I outgrew my soya and egg allergy, but I am still allergic to milk. 

When I was 8 months old, I ended up in the hospital after having had a severe allergic reaction to mangoes. This was followed by another allergic episode, this time from apricots. 

Earlier this year, I was told to remove wheat and gluten from my diet, as I was again experiencing symptoms to those I experienced with  previous allergies. I am now vegan and gluten-free and feel much better. I do feel sad though, as I miss out on so many yummy food items. Thankfully, I have learned to cook and with my mum who runs our Instagram called mindfultummy. We set this up with a view to sharing with others who suffer like me so that we can use products and be adaptive to feel included. 

Having met a wonderful lady on holiday earlier this year who was involved with Allergy UK, I wanted to raise awareness and help others. Along with others, I presented my case and won the chance at my school to choose my charity for MUFTI day. We raised over £1800 for this wonderful cause last week.