Food allergy incidents, like any issue where people could end up hospitalized are a big deal. However, while each incident is sad, stories like this are much more real and hard-hitting when they happen close to you.
As a Michigander and a high school student beginning to look at potential colleges, this story really hit me.
Recently, a mother by the name of Teresa Seely posted on social media that she had learned that her son with deadly allergies was exposed to peanut butter in October in Central Michigan University.
He had been passed out when a member of the fraternity of Alpha Chi Rho smeared peanut butter on his face as an act of hazing, knowing about his deadly allergy.
The fraternity had been banned in the past for hazing incidents, so this isn’t a lone incident.
This is a picture of him after his reaction
He had later transferred out of CMU after the semester was over.
Paramedics say he was “lucky to be alive” after the incident because of his deadly allergy.
OK, I gotta say that this grinds my gears a little. People just don’t seem to get that this is a dangerous thing. It isn’t something to fool around about as a college prank. This stuff kills people. Period.
As a person who really isn’t that far off from college, this scares me as well. I want to feel safe at the place where I will be going to school and potentially even living at for four or more years. These were not complete strangers. This was a group of his peers that he chose to spend time with. A group of people he admired enough that he hoped to become one of them.
It’s just scary because I CAN TOTALLY SEE THAT BEING ME! Like, I’m genuinely scared to close my eyes for extended periods of time in public places now because of the off chance that someone might “pull a prank” on me or something. It is just so real it’s scary.
As I begin to look at colleges. I have been focusing on classes and programs offered. I have been starting to also look into the possibility of living in a dorm or eating daily in a cafeteria. Something like this never even crossed my mind.
I would love to hear your opinion on this, whether you are a student or a parent. I have thought a lot about this since it hit the news. Feel free to comment below or on my Facebook.
Until next time!
Gary