Food Allergies
Owen’s food allergies began to become apparent once he was being weaned onto solid food at around 6 months old. He became covered in hives from tasting bread and vomited after trying some milk and blackcurrant juice. Later, when it also became clear that he was having stomach pain from food, Owen underwent detailed testing to discover which foods might be causing the issue. The results were quite shocking as they showed that he was allergic to a wide variety of foods. These included: cow’s milk and cheese; goat’s milk and cheese; wheat; rye; rapeseed oil; sunflower oil; yeast; sesame; soya; all nuts; egg; salmon; cod; pork; avocado; kiwi; ginger; blackcurrant; tomato; onion; garlic; chocolate; cocoa; tapioca; monosodium glutamate; artificial sweetener; tea.
Thankfully, once his diet was altered to exclude any of the above, Owen’s stomach pain disappeared and his health improved. His diet was assessed to ensure it remained healthy as a result of all the exclusions and he had to take calcium and iodine supplements.
Over time as he was growing up, Owen did develop a tolerance for some foods and was able to introduce pork, fish, eggs, tomato, onion, garlic, sunflower oil and rapeseed oil into his diet.
Environmental Allergies
Owen was asthmatic and could react to airborne particles of the foods to which he was allergic. He discovered that he could not stay long in a coffee shop without becoming very wheezy. This was due to milk particles in the air from the frothed milk. He was also similarly affected from wheat particles in the air in a pizza restaurant where the chefs were making the dough on site.
If there were volatile chemicals in the air from paint, aerosols, cleaning sprays, bonfire smoke or exhaust from cars, Owen would suddenly have difficulty breathing and need to use his inhaler.
From when he was around ten years old, Owen began to have problems with his eyes. They would become itchy and felt as if there was a foreign body in them and it led to him having blurry vision and being very sensitive to bright light. An eye specialist diagnosed him has having Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis and Keratitis which is caused by an allergic reaction of the eye to pollens in the air.
This reaction would begin in the spring, become worse in the summer and then lessen in the autumn months each year. One summer, Owen developed an ulcer in his left eye as a result of this. It was extremely painful and he was left with a scar on his cornea but thankfully it did not affect his eyesight.
Living With Multiple Allergies
Despite his many allergies, Owen was not held back from participating in normal activities at school, at home or on holiday. He took part in a various sports including swimming, hockey, cricket and gymnastics. His elder brother taught him to ski and Owen went on skiing holidays both with him and with the school.
Owen completed both his Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh Awards and was in the middle of training to do a parachute jump for charity before he died.
Owen loved music and learned to play the violin and trumpet to Grade 5 before teaching himself to play the guitar (electric and acoustic). He had a great time jamming with his friends in the year leading up to his death.
Owen adored computer games and was regularly heard laughing and joking with his friends when they played together online.
Holidays were mainly self-catering so that Owen’s allergy-free diet could be catered for. If that was impossible, then a discussion took place with the caterer where a list of allergens were provided and suggestions of the meals which Owen liked were given. This was translated into a foreign language where necessary to ensure Owen’s safety.
Whilst growing up, Owen always carried a rucksack with his medicines, inhalers, epipens and specially prepared food with him wherever he went.