Excerpted from the Autumn 2007 issue of Allergy Today. For more articles like this, subscribe to Allergy Today, click here.

Cole Maguire, who turned 10 in December, has a life-threatening allergy to nuts, as well as allergies to dust mites, cats, dogs and some grass pollens. He likes computers, reading, biking, surfing and swimming (but not all at the same time!) His eight-year-old brother, Riley, is allergic to dairy and egg. Here’s Cole’s take on how allergies have affected his life.

silver lining: there’s more to life than allergies

Recently, sitting in the car, hearing about a close call with my allergy when I was younger, I thought about what has happened in the last few years regarding my allergies.

It made me smile thinking back to when we decided on St Thomas More School when we moved from Auckland to Mt Maunganui. I remember when we told everyone in the school about my allergies. We showed a video and I did a talk. We’d brought some nut-free bars that we regularly ate, and gave them to some of the children to show them that nut-free food can be tasty. Basically, it was a win-win situation; I won because I felt safer because I knew the other kids knew more about my allergies, and they won because some of them got free bars.

Now, in my final year at St Thomas More School, I still feel as safe as when I first came in. Talking of safety at school, I now wear an EpiPen in an insulated EpiPen holder at all times, but in my first years at the school the teachers took care of it for me.

My friends at school hardly let it stop our having fun, which is how I like it. Sometimes I even forget that I have allergies. But when it comes to food, my friends are very supportive and understand with amazing accuracy.

Having an allergy can be both a blessing and a burden. When you think about it, you could be one of those kids on TV who are on those weight-loss shows, who struggle with all food, or you could be one of the kids who don't have food at all. It makes me feel good inside that I’m not one of them.

Even with life-threatening allergies, there are people who have worse problems than me. It makes me appreciate that, serious as it is, this is all I’ve got.

At school I’m generally better known as the smart guy rather than the guy who can’t eat nuts, which is fine by me. Here’s hoping it stays that way.

Having allergies has meant that:

• I understand other people’s problems in more depth.
• I really appreciate the food I can have, rather than feeling sorry for myself about the food I can’t have.
• As we live in Mt Maunganui, our trips to Auckland to see our specialist, Dr Liang, usually end up with visits to places like MOTAT and Kelly Tarlton’s, which is an excellent deal.
• It has forced my Mum to learn to bake. She’s definitely got an unofficial baker’s qualification, in my opinion at least.

Now I guess I’m back where I started: in the present and still with allergies. Although my allergies aren’t the rulers of my life, we still have to take them into account at all times and they will always play a part in my life. But I’m still happy with everything I’ve got, and with the family I’ve got I don’t need anything more.