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By LaDonna Antoine-Watkins
I've had an allergy to peanut for as long as I can remember. But it hasn't gotten in my way. I train hard, travel and compete a lot. I carry my epinephrine auto-injector with me, but have rarely had to use it.
When I traveled to the 2000 Sydney Olympics, I had been training well and was in top shape. I was really excited to be there.
Shortly after we arrived, I was eating a meal with my teammates when I started to feel unwell. My throat was closing up and I knew that I was in trouble. When I asked the chef, I found out that there was peanut sauce in the chicken that I was eating.
My teammates were really helpful. My coach stayed calm and drove me to the hospital. And once I'd had the epinephrine auto-injector, I knew that I was going to be all right. But you can imagine how I felt. After I got past the fear of the reaction, all I could think about was the fact that I had trained so hard, and been so close to losing the chance to run in the Olympics.
But I went on to run my races as the Canadian champion 200 and 400 meter sprinter.
Last date modified on Friday, April 7, 2006
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You can help too!
Whether you are a coach, teacher, parent or friend, you can make your community safer for people living with anaphylaxis. Find out how you can make a difference!
Support Allergic Friends Everywhere - go SAFE
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