Anaphylaxis?
Before my little boy Antonio had his first anaphylactic reaction, I knew little of it and could not even spell the word! Now our family always carry an ‘Epinephrine auto –injector’ wherever we go and we’re always examining food labels for allergens that may send our precious little boy into shock.
But I am getting way ahead of myself. Let me take you back about 4 years to the day that changed our families lives forever. I'll never forget it.
I was on tour with The Wiggles (I spend over half the year away touring around the world, singing songs with three other Wiggles, a dinosaur, an Octopus, a dancing 6-foot dog and a pirate who tickles people! Ahh my life!). We were in New Zealand – you know the country that sadly (always!) beats Australia at Rugby. We were driving in between venues, looking at the great New Zealand sights. My mobile phone starts ringing and being the responsible driver that I am, I pull over and answer it.
It was my wife Miki. She was crying, talking inside an ambulance. She said, "They are taking Antonio to hospital!" My blood ran cold. I could hear her panic.My mind starte racing. Had he fallen over? Broken his arm? What could it be? Miki quickly told me he was eating a peanut butter sandwich as he had for the past 10 months or so when his breathing became very shallow like he was choking. He started scratching his chest and said it was hurting him. His lips swelled as did around his eyes and hives had started appearing on his body. Antonio became listless and his quick-thinking aunty Maureen called the ambulance and called Miki who was at the supermarket.