WATCH: Meet the Durban-born woman who has "40+ allergies"
This in no way stops her from living her life...
Dealing with any sort of medical condition can be challenging, whether that is fighting a cold or dealing with allergies. In some way or the other, it impacts your entire flow, and the thing is, not everyone will understand because each person deals with ailments differently.
Well, in case you thought you had it bad, this 20-year-old who has over 40 allergies is making our heads spin on social media. Shivaika Sewlal, who is originally from Durban but now lives in Cape Town, has always been the kid with all the allergies.
"Shivaika, who is a computer science student at UCT, has over 40 allergies, including nuts, wheat, honey, cow’s milk, olives, guavas, most chocolates and sweets and citric acid. She also can’t come into contact with cats, dogs, cockroaches, certain grass and trees, bees, chlorine and dust mites." (News24)
She started her TikTok account last year and has gained more than 265,000 followers, which to us says that she is talking a language that many people can relate to. Besides the fact that she uses her allergies to create awareness around the struggles that people with allergies face daily, she also is quite entertaining.
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Check out part one of her story below (courtesy of TikTok):
@shiv_sewlal Part 1 of my interview with @hashtagourstories #eczemacheck #allergycheck #hashtagourstories ♬ original sound - SHIV
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@shiv_sewlal Repost of my most viral TikTok (1.2M views) #allergic ♬ son original - DJ MATAFAN
I was diagnosed with eczema a few weeks after I was born. Grass and pollen and flowers all affect me. If my windows are open and someone is cutting grass outside, I will immediately have a flare-up on my face just from the smell.
Courtesy of TikTok
@shiv_sewlal Reply to @xx_krj__xx Struggles of having 40+ Allergies #allergic #allergycheck ♬ ZABO Breathe - 𝖍𝖔𝖇𝖊𝖗𝖗𝖞🍓
Now I have a range of pure shampoo and pure soaps which have no chemicals or fragrances. As far as food goes, I’ve found pasta made from beetroot, lasagna sheets made from rice and chocolate biscuits that have no eggs, no wheat, nothing – they’re made from rice and tapioca flour and that’s about it.
As she shares her story, we can't imagine that growing up was easy for her. She talks about having to pack her own food when she goes out to meet friends at restaurants, because she obviously doesn't want to take a chance not knowing what oils and ingredients they use.
She has the support from her family and of course she shows all the signs of being a positive individual, who doesn't allow her allergies take over her life. But her message is key, especially for other kids and adults who go through bullying on the daily.
Throughout my life, I’ve been in bandages because of my eczema. Kids at school would call me contagious and run away from me. My condition really affected my childhood. There were many times I had to be rushed home or to hospital. I was always sick and missing school. Once a parent of one of my friends told me, ‘Oh, you’re being such a drama queen'.
We could all learn from the way she lives her life, and we just wanted to say, you is amazing, you is kind, and you is beautiful Shivaika!
Image Courtesy of Instagram