Micheline Bussière turns 32 on May 6, but she almost didn’t make it past her thirteenth birthday.
When Bussière started attending kindergarten, her mother, Suzanne Belleau, packed her balanced lunches, including fruits.
“I used to experience mouth itching along with lip and gum swelling when eating apples and red grapes,” says Bussière. “Because of the discomfort, I would eat everything else and bring back the fruits.”
When she told her mom the fruits made her mouth itchy, her mom did what most parents would probably do.
“My mom would tell me that I have to eat the healthy things, too, and not just the dessert,” says Bussière. “My mum probably assumed I was making excuses not to have to eat fruits.”
That is exactly what her mother thought.
“When my children were young, allergy awareness was not as it is today,” says Belleau. “We had not heard of fruit or vegetable allergies. So, when Micheline said her mouth itched when she ate apples, I thought she probably didn’t like apples.”
Bussière was not making excuses, however. She has oral allergy syndrome (OAS), also known as pollen-food syndrome.
According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, people with this condition react to “allergens found in both pollen and raw fruits, vegetables, or some tree nuts.”
Bussière, now a mom herself, says she understands why her mom insisted she eat the healthy foods.
“I can't blame her at all,” says Bussière. “A kid saying that fruits make their mouth itchy is, frankly, a little odd and unusual. The fact that I eventually did eat them probably got her to think that I was, in fact, making it up.”
Bussière did what most little kids her age would do: she listened to her mom.
“The challenge was, in fact, trying to tolerate the terrible itchiness, swelling and overall discomfort when eating these foods. Being as little as I was, I obviously did not realize that this could have very quickly turned for the worse.”
It eventually did take a turn for the worse when Bussière was 13.
“As I got older, I stopped eating anything that caused these symptoms to be reproduced,” says Bussière. “Around the age of 13, I decided I wanted to try eating an apple. Within a couple of minutes of taking my first bite, my gums and lips swelled.”
Belleau recounts the horror of that moment.
“She started crying hysterically, as if she had really hurt herself,” says Belleau. “When my husband and I ran to her, we couldn’t believe what we saw: her lips were terribly swollen, she seemed to have trouble breathing. We were terrified!”
Bussière’s father rushed Bussière to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a true allergy to apples.
Research suggests that it is quite rare for an OAS allergy to progress to a true allergy. The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology website states, “In one study, researchers found that oral allergy syndrome symptoms may progress to systemic symptoms in nearly 9 per cent of patients and to anaphylactic shock in 1.7 per cent of patients.”
Bussière is still discovering foods that she’s allergic to.
“Several years ago, I ate a fresh hazelnut for the first time, thinking I would be safe, because I've never had a problem with any nuts in desserts before,” says Bussière. “Within approximately 20 seconds, I was on the floor gasping for air with my hands at my throat.”
“That was the one of the most terrifying moments of my life.”
It's common for people with OAS to have this type of experience. The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology website says, “People affected by oral allergy syndrome can usually eat the same fruits or vegetables in cooked form because the proteins are distorted during the heating process.”
Bussière, who was still learning about her condition at the time, didn’t realize this would happen.
“I can only assume that I reacted to it because it was not cooked or roasted,” says Bussière. “I had only eaten nuts that were, in fact, cooked or roasted.”
Bussière says she still struggles to make other people in her life understand that she isn’t making her condition up.
“I have an excellent support system with friends and family, but I have had co-workers exhibit spite and dislike towards me because some fruits cannot even be eaten around me,” says Bussière. “Too many people are so quick to tell me to my face that it's ‘not true’ or ‘all in my head because there's no such thing,’ only because it's so uncommon and misunderstood.”
Bussière says she often has to remind her co-workers not to eat fruits that even the smell of causes a reaction, like oranges.
“Some have gone as far as actually eating oranges around me anyway, such as at Christmas-time when the little oranges are popular,” says Bussière. “When people choose to go ahead and take risks based on their own selfish wants...I think that is just awful and unforgivable.”
For Bussière, the reactions from others bothers her more than the allergies.
“It's the stigma and judgement coming from other people that's actually the hardest part,” says Bussière. “People need to know that no, we are not making this up, and yes, these things really do exist and are, quite frankly, very scary and dangerous.”
Belleau certainly knows now just how important allergy awareness is.
“Today, there is more information regarding allergies,” says Belleau. “Food allergies are taken much more seriously. In schools, children with allergies are protected from being exposed to foods which may cause them to have a reaction.”
“If I had known then what I know today, I would have had Micheline undergo allergy testing,” says Belleau. “I encourage parents to take the time and steps to find out why their child may complain after eating certain foods.”
Bussière wants to make sure parents listen to their kids, too.
“Kids are generally, for the most part, quite honest, and we need to learn to be very receptive to them,” says Bussière. “They are in their own little bodies and no one knows them better than themselves.”
“If they tell you something doesn't feel right, believe them and get help.”
