A children’s book, which was inspired by its author’s daughter and her dairy allergy, is flying high on Amazon as its release date nears.
I Can’t Have That, I Have Allergies is the brainchild of primary school teacher and author Katie Kinsella and was inspired by her eight-year-old daughter, Evie, who has a life-threatening dairy allergy.
Mrs Kinsella, who teaches in the Primary Phase at the Harleston Sancroft Academy, part of St Benet’s Multi Academy Trust said: “She went into anaphylactic shock at six months, which was how we first found out. Evie’s allergy can affect her even if there is dairy in the air. We have had to completely change our diet and lifestyle to make sure that our home is always a safe place, where there is never anything dangerous there for her.”
Mrs Kinsella, a special educational needs teacher from Needham, hopes the book will help raise awareness of the struggles associated with allergies.
She said: “I first had the idea for the book when Evie was around two-and-a-half. As she got older, the ideas for the book started developing. I would write a little here and there, but it was only during lockdown that I thought I needed to just go for it, and so I did. I’ve always loved writing. Once I had the idea and realised that I could help people, I had to do it.
“It’s aimed at children in early education and the hope is that it can raise awareness for the difficulties facing children with serious allergies and represent those families who live with them every day. I want to help those families to feel heard and understood.”
The story follows an anxious hedgehog who cannot go to his friends’ woodland party due to his food allergies.
“The most important thing is to help people understand allergies and give families a voice to be heard, and to make sure children with allergies don’t feel left out.”
I Can’t Have That, I Have Allergies is due to be released on December 1 and will be sold from Amazon and Trigger Hub for £8 to £9.
