College freshman to handle peanut allergy

By Elise Franco

efranco@vindy.com

Canfield

Elizabeth Zumbach will face a unique challenge as she enters her freshman year of college this fall.

At a very young age, Elizabeth, 18, of Canfield, realized she was allergic to peanuts and any food made with peanuts, including peanut butter and peanut oil.

“I’ve had a severe allergy to peanuts pretty much my whole life,” she said. “I had a pretty bad reaction to peanut butter as a kid.”

A reaction for Elizabeth could range from a surface rash, which she would have to immediately scrub with soap and water, to anaphylaxis shock, which could cause her throat to swell and her blood pressure to rise.

For the past decade, she’s had her family as a support system. But when Elizabeth leaves in a few weeks for her freshman year at the Columbus College of Art and Design, she’ll have to deal with the allergy on her own.

“It’s kind of a nervous thing because my parents have always been there as a steady support,” she said.

Elizabeth said she and her parents have always had to take special care to make sure she doesn’t come in contact with a food that will make her sick — something her three college roommates will now have to help her with.

“I’ve already talked with them about everything,” she said. “They’ve been really great about it.”

Elizabeth said when eating out, she always asks if the food is cooked in peanut oil or if it comes in contact with any type of peanut products.

Her parents don’t keep any peanut products in the house, and her roommates have agreed to do the same.

“I can’t have those things around at all,” she said. “If a plate isn’t cleaned properly and I touch it, I could still have a bad reaction.”

David Zumbach said his daughter will be living in a quad-style dorm with a kitchen, so she’ll have more control over the types of foods she can prepare.

“We’re fortunate that it’s not the type of dorm where she’ll have to deal with food service,” he said. “That’s really relieved a lot of my anxiety.”

That anxiety is what caused David and Elizabeth to seek professional care from Dr. David Lang, head of allergy and immunology in the respiratory institute of The Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Lang said Elizabeth is one of the growing number of individuals who live with severe peanut aller gies, but it doesn’t have to be a life-altering problem.

“Transitioning to an environment where a college student lives in a dormitory may pose additional challenges,” he said. “But I think Elizabeth came to me with a great deal of awareness on this, having avoided peanuts for so many years.”

Dr. Lang said Elizabeth’s roommates already seem to have an understanding of her condition, which is important.

“There’s no question that there has to be a feeling of trust that exists. This is something that can’t be trivialized because it’s potentially serious,” he said. “That needs to be understood in a trusting relationship with her roommates.”

David said after spending time with Dr. Lang, most of his fears about Elizabeth’s moving so far away are gone.

“I have confidence in Elizabeth that she’s taking the appropriate steps to ensure she doesn’t have exposure,” he said. “She’s clearly looking out for her own best interest.”