Allergy NI Young Person of the Year, Claire McGurk, is no longer living in fear of peanuts thanks to a successful food challenge test, but although she still cannot eat tree nuts, her mum says it is definitely a positive step. Gail Bell finds out more
'Young Person of the Year', Claire Mcgurk, is looking to the future with renewed hope after becoming one of a small number of people to 'outgrow' their peanut allergy. The 12-year-old south Belfast girl recently took part in a food challenge test at a Belfast clinic and after four hours of being fed gradually increasing amounts of peanut butter, discovered she was no longer allergic to what, for some, can be a life-threatening snack. It is the second piece of good news for those diagnosed with severe peanut intolerance in northern Ireland after Belfast teenager Lorcan Maneely was 'desensitised' in a groundbreaking oral immunotherapy clinical trial carried out at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge. Both young people were involved in the recent Allergy NI Awareness Week and presentation dinner at which they picked up awards - Claire becoming the Young Person of the Year with 17-year-old Lorcan (featured recently in The Irish news) named the 'Special Award' winner for 2013. Claire's proud mum, Denise Magill, said her young daughter had coped with her nut allergy with a maturity beyond her years and had helped spread knowledge among her fellow pupils with school talks, demonstrations of how to use an emergency epi-pen filled with adrenaline (administered when allergy sufferers suffer anaphylactic shock) and organising
a coffee morning which raised £200 for the allergy charity.
And, prior to a special Stormont debate on food allergy - organised as part of the week-long Allergy NI event - Claire even emailed her local MLAs, encouraging them to attend and become engaged in the topic and involved in delivering vital awareness messages to constituents. Diagnosed with both peanut and tree nut (Brazil, walnut and hazelnut) allergies four years ago, the enterprising schoolgirl has turned what was initially a frightening prognosis into a positive awarenessraising crusade.
"She has managed her allergy with a very determined and positive attitude right from the time she was diagnosed," mum Denise says. "Claire just took ownership of it; she would speak up when she had to and she would always order for herself in restaurants.
"Her independence and the way she just accepted it and got on with things definitely helped me cope with the lifestyle changes we needed to make as a family. "I could trust her not to take any chances when she was going to birthday parties or on school trips and that was a huge 'plus' in the early days when I struggled to strike a balance between keeping my child safe and trying not to go into over-protect mode and hold her back." Claire presented with allergy symptoms as an eight year-old which was, her mother says, "unusually late" - most allergic children are diagnosed in early childhood. Crucially, she did not present with the worst case scenario of anaphylactic shock but nonetheless suffered sudden and worrying symptoms including wheeziness, and nausea during a family dinner. "We had been eating a desert made with walnuts and hazelnuts so we were able to pin the source down quite easily," Denise recalls. "Claire began to feel acutely unwell and even the pitch of her voice changed, but thankfully it did not progress to anaphylactic shock which can be really frightening." Subsequent skin pricks and blood tests confirmed nut allergies - and also Denise's suspicions which had been aroused due to earlier inexplicable, random reactions displayed by her daughter to run-of-the-mill foodstuffs. "Suddenly it all made sense," she adds. "I think subconsciously I had tried to avoid giving the children nuts but occasionally Claire complained that her mouth and ears felt 'funny' after eating something which must have contained hidden traces." She says the current awareness surrounding nut allergy is helpful, but there still needs to be more understanding among the general public, particularly when differentiating between different types of nut allergies. "When you say you have a nut allergy, people automatically think of peanuts, which is actually a legume, but you can be susceptible only to tree nuts and vice versa," Denise explains. "We have to remain vigilant because Claire is still allergic to other nuts, but we are pleased that Dr Andrew Clark, who was in charge of the Addenbrookes peanut trial which desensitised Lorcan, is now planning a similar trial focusing on multiple nuts.
"I still have to scan ingredients lists in supermarkets, but peanut food tolerance reduces Claire's overall risk and at least now there is light at the end of the tunnel." However, despite the good news, in practice Claire's tastebuds have yet to catch up: "She loathed peanuts at the start, but has been advised to eat five per week to keep up her immunity," Denise adds. "Now, consuming a Snickers bar at the end of the week is a real possibility." Allergies are increasing and now affect around 180,000 children and 400,000 adults in Northern Ireland, according to Maureen Paul of Allergy NI who has welcomed the recent progress in research and treatment. "So many families live in fear due to nut allergies and their potential fatal consequences, so it is really exciting to hear success stories such as Lorcan's and Claire's," she said. "Real inroads are being being made which could transform the lives of the next generation."
* For more information visit www.allergyni.co.uk.