Profile: raiseyourvoice
This is raiseyourvoice's Profile page. Use it to view raiseyourvoice's comments, other users' replies to these comments, and comments raiseyourvoice has endorsed.
What's Happening Now
June 15, 2010 11:24 pm
Thank you for your post. You are correct; much of the discussion has focused on children with peanut allergies and has neglected the impact allergies may have on adults. We certainly encourage more people to post about the impact of peanut allergies on adult airline travelers.
No comments
I have been watching this discussion for a couple of days now, and want to weigh in on a few issues that have been raised by both supporters and opponents of a proposed peanut ban.
First, I find that most of the discussion has been focusing on children with allergies, and related to that, good parenting. This is certainly understandable, given the increase in peanut allergies among children. But it neglects another perspective – namely, the adult allergy sufferer.
I’ve had a moderate to severe peanut allergy since the age of 2 (and I am now in my late 20s). By the age of 6, I knew how to take my medications myself. Since the EpiPen has come out, I’ve carried epinephrine with me. And I’ve always had various other medications – e.g. inhaler – on hand. I… more »
Opponents of the ban suggest that allergy sufferers simply avoid flying. It might be possible when the sufferer is a child – perhaps it is possible for a family to drive to grandma’s house for Christmas instead of taking a plane. This depends, of course, on where grandma lives – if she lives in California, and the family lives in Maine, there might be problems.
Adults, on the other hand, travel by air for a myriad of reasons. As a graduate student, I studied at a university eight hours from home. A few months ago, there was a family emergency at home. My choices were to drive eight hours, thereby possibly ending after a loved one had already passed, or to brave a flight with peanuts on board but that would take considerably less time. I chose the flight, taking all sorts of precautions including informing the flight attendants of my allergy. They created a “peanut-free zone” around me, serving pretzels to the passengers sitting four rows in front of me and four rows behind me. I still had a mild reaction (no use of the EpiPen, in other words, but still heavily medicated by the time I left the plane), so that when I did arrive at the hospital, I had to undergo treatment myself before visiting my loved one.
Towards the end of graduate school, I applied to a number of jobs all over the US and was granted interviews at many of them. For offices that were far away, I chose the interviews that I did accept and attend based on whether a peanut-free airline was available to fly into that city. I feared not only a severe allergic reaction in air, but also any repercussions that could carry over to my interview once I had taken medication. I’ve had allergies since the age of 2, so I understand that sometimes, my ability to engage in certain activities is more limited than others. But when I take all necessary precautions and still, my job prospects are limited or I fail to see a dying loved one, because an airline obstinately refuses to serve peanuts, isn’t that a little ridiculous? Is this really a fair result? I shudder to think what life will be like when I am a “full-fledged” working adult. Will I have to forgo promotions because I cannot travel on peanut-laden flights? It sounds dramatic, but it’s not melodramatic. The only thing that’s melodramatic is the reaction of some people who act as giving up a snack is an infringement of their rights. « less