A woman has told her story of how she nearly died after kissing a man at a bar.
Phoebe Campbell-Harris was 18 when she had been out for a friend’s birthday and began to go into a ‘pure panic’ when her throat started to close up.
It was inside of the Parisian nightclub that she had noticed that something wasn’t quite right.
Phoebe said that suddenly, her ‘throat felt like sandpaper’, adding to The Times: “It had gone all scratchy.
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"That is the first sign, then it becomes harder and harder to swallow and that’s when you know your throat is closing up."
Running to the bathroom, she realised that she was covered in hives and rashes and knowing that these are the signs of an allergic reaction and that she was going into anaphylactic shock, she administered her EpiPen and called for an ambulance.
But how did all of this happen?
As she knew she hadn’t eaten or drank anything that had nuts in it, it must have been a kiss with a partygoer who ‘had a nice smile’.
What she began to believe was that the man she had smooched may have eaten nuts, as there was a communal bowl at the bar.
The now 28-year-old has been to the hospital six times after for her allergic reactions and has collaborated on a short film to raise awareness.
It’s called A Matter of Minutes.
It looks into people being able to pass on allergens in unusual ways.
It was only recently that Alison Pickering died having unknowingly ingested nuts while on a date.
The filmmaker said that allergies can be ‘serious, unpredictable and potentially life-threatening’.
She said: “Unless you’ve experienced it yourself, anaphylaxis feels like a foreign idea.”
Because of these instances, she has developed ‘hypervigilance’ and understands what signs she needs to look out for.
Her first reaction came when she was three.
She shared that part of making sure that you’re safe is to explain to restaurants your allergies.
But still, mistakes can happen.
She explained an instance where she went into anaphylaxis after eating an acai bowl despite staff telling her that there were no nuts in it, and she also once saw her barista accidentally pour almond milk instead of oat milk into her drink.
Phoebe said: “For adolescents, they’re trying to have fun and fit in with other teenagers.
"Their brain may not be developed enough to think, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t trust that person, or maybe I shouldn’t do that."
But instead of living your life in fear, she wants people to live their lives fully, just with caution.
This comes after Phoebe joined the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation (Narf) which was set up after the death of 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse.
Natasha was allergic to sesame and died in 2016 after eating a Pret a Manger baguette.
Her mother, Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, who founded the charity, has also asked everyone to watch Phoebe’s film, stating: “Millions of people in the UK are now living with a diagnosed food allergy.
"Food allergies can be a serious, unpredictable and potentially life-threatening health condition, with far-reaching impacts on the lives not just of those with the allergy but on their loved ones too.
"They can make everyday activities such as eating out or going to parties fraught with anxiety and potential dangers.”
Topics: Health
Britt Jones