Bullying

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This kid in my class who was a huge attention seeker thought it would be funny to start threatening me with a peanut filled candy. I remained calm and pushed his hand away. Some students at school who knew about my peanut allergy jumped in and started yelling at the kid saying he could kill me! That was pretty cool, because I didn’t know them that well.

What can others learn from this?

It's always a good idea to let a teacher or adult know if you are feeling threatened. Educating your friends about food allergies, even if briefly, can really help!

Ignorance is not bliss

I ordered a sandwich from a school cafeteria and asked for no mayonnaise on it, because I’m allergic to egg. When I received the sandwich, I found it was loaded with mayo and complained to the server. She said she could just scrape it off with a knife. I said that isn’t good enough and that I would need a new sandwich. She then laughed and made a comment that my egg allergy can’t be that serious and I’m just making a big deal! I then told her to forget about it, and went to eat somewhere else.

What can others learn from this?

Let the principal know if any staff member at the school is creating an unsafe environment or requires more information on anaphylaxis. It's likely that allergy awareness is the issue, and the principal can help make sure that they receive the proper training needed to minimize risk.

Cyber-Bullying

Recently our school went “peanut-safe” and I heard a few grumblings from fellow classmates, but never anything directed at me. One day I went home from school and logged on to messenger where my friend forwarded me some really nasty quotes about me and my peanut allergy. One girl even said that “Why should I be inconvenienced? She’s the one with the problem. I might sneak in a peanut tomorrow just to see her face lol!” I was so upset that I told my mom right away who phoned the school to give them the heads-up. The next day the principal dealt with the situation and held a school-wide assembly about the severity of anaphylaxis.

What can others learn from this?

I was very tempted to retaliate online but am thankful I didn’t. The bullies started treating me with respect after the assembly once they knew how serious anaphylaxis is. I would recommend never trying to handle a situation like this alone.

Have you experienced a difficult situation regarding bullying? How did you manage it? Share your experience!