Jess Tremayne never imagined she would become an author. Life took her on a path to becoming a teacher, a mum and someone who kept things running smoothly. But life, as it often does, rewrote the plan.
Enter a life with allergies. The journey kicked off with Jess’s son, who encountered allergies as a baby after trying eggs and breaking out into hives. While it wasn’t a complete surprise, given her husband has intolerances and they also run in Jess’s family, the word ‘allergy’ coming from the doctor made everything all the more real.
By the time he was four, her son had outgrown both allergies before starting school, and Jess thought that chapter was over. Then her daughter was born.
“My daughter was only two months old when patches of eczema began appearing on her tiny skin,” Jess said. “I was breastfeeding and instinctively knew something wasn’t right. I eliminated foods, searching for answers, blaming myself, watching and waiting to see what happened.”
At six months old, her daughter underwent allergy testing. Jess said she still has the photo, her baby covered in welts, reacting to food after food – tree nuts, dairy, wheat, fish.
“Because of the eczema, the tests had to be done on her back,” Jess said.
Some allergies faded with time, while others didn’t. Her daughter grew into a child who could react to the tiniest trace, including getting hives from playground equipment touched by another child’s cheesy hands.
Four times, her now 10-year-old daughter has experienced anaphylaxis.
“The first time was the worst,” Jess said. “The hardest thing, even now, is always wondering if one EpiPen will be enough and that goes for any parent with a child or even an adult who lives with severe allergies.”
Jess became a parent who never switched off. Extra EpiPens in every bag, meals always carefully planned and avoiding eating out for years.
Turning Lived Experience into a Children’s Book
As a teacher, Jess noticed more children with allergies coming through her classroom doors. As a mum, she said she noticed how children just wanted to belong. That experience led her to write a children’s book, Ivy’s Allergies.
Inspired by her daughter, Jess wrote the story to help children understand what allergies are and to encourage inclusion.
“The book teaches awareness, kindness and self-advocacy,” Jess said. “It shows children how to speak up, how to breathe through worry, how to be brave. At the back, it gently explains how to be a good friend to someone with allergies and what anaphylaxis looks like.”
When Jess reads the story to classrooms, she said children respond with questions, empathy and care.
Now, as her daughter undergoes life-changing oral immunotherapy (OIT) privately through a Sydney clinic, Jess can see a future with less fear of what severe allergies can do. And maybe, one day soon, another book.
“No child should have to feel alone on an allergy journey,” Jess said. “And sometimes, a story is the safest place to begin.”
Read more stories from The Caboolture Guide print magazine here:
- Caboolture Connect: Updates from the Community
- What’s Hot Around Town
- Podcast Review: Pop Culture Parenting
- The French Film Festival Brisbane
- How Healthy is Your Home Loan?
- Queenfish Scomberoides commersonnianus
- Organic Gardening in March
- Free, Cheap and Local!
- Happitat Brings High-Altitude Thrills to Gold Coast Hinterland
- Backing Their Buddy
- Chamber Chat
- Food Fest Brings Flavour and Fun to Caboolture Showgrounds
- The Dellit Family and the Legacy of Riverview Hospital
- Like Yesterday
- Schools Unite to Build Future Workforce Pathways
- Plant, Grow and Connect
- Finding the Right Path
- SpiritFest Returns to Caboolture Historical Village
- Local Sporting Facilities Set for Major Upgrades
