[Trigger Warning]
Chloe Dickson, a 26-year-old from Brighton, England, is leveraging social media to shine a light on severe food allergies. Living with life-threatening anaphylaxis triggered by peanuts, she operates the “Peanut Free Zone” on Instagram. However, her advocacy has been met with significant backlash, including “death threats” and accusations of being “selfish,” stemming from misunderstandings about her condition.
A harrowing incident in a pub, where her friends struggled to administer her epinephrine auto-injector during a severe reaction, marked a “turning point” for Dickson, galvanizing her commitment to raise awareness.
This is not her first encounter with the dangers and misconceptions surrounding her allergy. She recalls painful instances from her school days where classmates “threw Snickers bars ‘snapped in half and thrown’ at her” to “test my allergy,” disbelieving she would react without ingesting them.
Such bullying is unfortunately common. A 2021 study by Children’s National Hospital revealed that one in three children with food allergies report experiencing allergy-related bullying, with some cases having devastating consequences.
Dickson’s experience bears a chilling resemblance to the tragic death of 13-year-old Karanbir Cheema in 2017. Karan, who had a severe milk allergy, died after a classmate “pranked” him by flicking cheese down his collar. At his inquest, a school administrator testified that Karanbir initially arrived calmly at the welfare office but quickly deteriorated, “leaning over the sink, gasping for air, still scratching his neck. He pulled his shirt off, he was very itchy and couldn’t breathe.” At one point, he cried, “I’m going to die.”
Despite administering Karanbir’s inhaler and over-the-counter allergy medication, his condition worsened. An expired epinephrine auto-injector, used 11 months past its due date, appeared ineffective as he became “quite grey,” limp, and his eyes glazed over. Rushed to Great Ormond Street Hospital in critical condition, Karanbir was tragically removed from life support ten days later, on July 9. His story illustrates how food allergy bullying can prove fatal.
Beyond the personal and emotional toll, Dickson has also faced professional hurdles. She has been fired from jobs and told by potential employers that she was “too high risk,” making her condition feel “like a secret.” Despite these difficulties, she asserts, “I’m just a human and enjoy working in a café. I want to be doing fun and exciting things too.” Currently, she works at Moksha Caffe in Brighton, which became peanut-free five years ago to accommodate her allergy.
Dickson’s ultimate ambition is to encourage Brighton hospitals to become peanut-free, further safeguarding individuals with severe allergies.
Learn more about Chloe Dickson and her mission in the BBC report:
- ‘Classmates threw Snickers at me to test my allergy’ — BBC
- 1 in 3 kids say they’ve been bullied because of their food allergy and parents are largely unaware — Children’s National Hospital
- What We Learned from the Karanbir Cheema Inquest — SnackSafely.com
