By Hunter Haskett, Business Manager

As you bite into that pecan pie loaded with whipped cream or scoop another helping of stuffing onto your plate, you’re probably wondering how anyone could not eat any of these delicious holiday treats. But sometimes, people like sophomore Madison Lester don’t exactly have a choice.

Lester learned she was allergic to peanuts and tree nuts after she visited the doctor post-peanut butter sandwich. Since then, she has been careful to avoid certain foods, especially during the holiday season, but accidents can still happen.

“At the beginning of the school year I had an allergic reaction, a severe one, and I had to go to the hospital,” Lester said. “I used an EpiPen and it wasn’t as bad as I thought.”

Not realizing walnuts were in the food she was eating, Lester immediately noticed the symptoms of an allergic reaction.

“I got really sick, then I threw up and then my tongue started to go numb, so I thought, ‘Probably should use an EpiPen,’ so someone stabbed me with it,” Lester said.

Knowing she has to be attentive during the holidays, Lester’s family helps her stay away from food she shouldn’t eat, even if she’s itching to try it.

“I always want to try everything with peanuts in it. One day I hope they find a cure for allergies and I’ll be able to eat it all,” Lester said.

Reese’s Cups and pecan pie are among the foods she’s always wanted to try, and Lester is determined to be able to eat them one day.

“I’ve always wanted to try one (a Reese’s Cup), so I’ve told my friends that on my death bed they have to feed me one just because I want to try it,” Lester said.

Junior Hannah Ellington, who is also allergic to peanuts, was tired of watching her relatives eat mouth-watering pieces of pecan pie. After years of longing, she devised a plan to see if she could eat it this year.

“I decided I was just going to take one nut in one hand and my EpiPen in the other, then just try it and see if I was allergic to it,” Ellington said. “It was terrifying, but I eventually found out that I’m only allergic to peanuts, so I can finally have that pecan pie.”

Her experiment worked, but was one that could have gone seriously wrong.

“It was terrifying. I remember I was trying a walnut or a cashew and my EpiPen was right on my thigh and I was like, ‘If I go into anaphylactic shock right now this is not going to be good,’ but then I found out that cashew is my favorite nut,” Ellington said.

Thanks to her careful – and possibly catastrophic testing – Ellington was able to finally try a piece of ooey-gooey pecan pie, although it wasn’t quite what she expected.

“I tried pecan pie for the first time over break and my final verdict is that the worst part about it was the pecans,” she said. “But the rest of it was good, like the sugary filling underneath.”

So was all her experimentation worth it?

“I tried it, didn’t like it, but you know – at least I didn’t die,” Ellington said.

Junior Cassidy Dietz has different allergies than Ellington and Lester, which leads her to live life gluten- and dairy-free. With the holidays in full swing, Dietz has found alternate ways to make some of her favorite dishes.

“A lot of the time, certain foods that I can’t have, they almost always have a way to make it so that I can have it,” Dietz said.

Being able to use gluten- and dairy-free ingredients allows Dietz to still enjoy the flavors of the holidays without getting sick.

“I use Pinterest for everything I make, especially during the holidays – like any sort of cookies I want or some sort of casserole,” Dietz said. “I just go on Pinterest, type in gluten-free, dairy-free, and there’s always something.”

To others, it may seem like having allergies could be a setback for holiday fun, but these students have found ways to have fun, eat good food and not get sick while doing so.

Junior Hunter Haskett can be reached at hasketthu0318@daretolearn.org.