You name it, I can’t be near it. Even kissing my boyfriend is risky

I’ve been diagnosed with mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). It means your immune system is triggered too frequently and can cause anaphylaxis, so you can become allergic to a huge range of things. It’s a rare, incurable condition.

I’d had some minor problems from the age of two, and knew I was allergic to nuts. But a crucial turning point came when I was 18, in 2017. I was at university in Massachusetts and decided to grab a mint chocolate-chip ice-cream with friends. Before I knew it, I went into anaphylaxis, and my friends rushed me to hospital.