Woman, 27, told she could die by eating single piece of fruit

A West Midlands woman allergic to fruit and vegetables hasn't eaten a single green in more than 20 years - and says a bite could kill her.

Chloe Raisbeck, 27, was diagnosed with oral allergy syndrome (OAS) - an allergy to any pollen-derived substances - in January 2005 at the age of seven.

She first realised something was wrong when a bite from a peach at school caused her lips to swell and her throat to itch - and she sought help from the school nurses in May 2004.

After feeling she "wasn't taken seriously", that same week, she had an apple and began displaying the same "painful" symptoms.

She was taken to the doctors, where a blood test confirmed she had allergies, before being referred to an allergist - who diagnosed her with OAS after a skin prick test revealed a whole list of food reactions. The condition affects only two per cent of the UK population - and its causes and symptoms are commonly linked to hay fever.

Chloe is now allergic to 15 different fruits, vegetables, and nuts - including bananas, kiwis, carrots, almonds and bell peppers - and has avoided eating her five-a-day for 20 years.

She has developed a "fear of eating" and now relies on multivitamin supplements to get enough nutrients every day - and carries an EpiPen everywhere in case she goes into anaphylactic shock.

Chloe, a recruitment consultant from Solihull, West Midlands, said: "My allergies came out of nowhere. I was able to eat fruit and vegetables normally with no symptoms. But since taking a bite of that peach, my relationship with food has changed.

"Being told by my allergist that I could potentially die by eating a single piece of fruit or going into anaphylaxis was terrifying. I was given an EpiPen and other antihistamines, which was confusing for a seven-year-old.

"If I eat any of my five-a-day, I develop swollen lips, an itchy throat, and lumps in my mouth. I'm lucky my symptoms aren't too bad, but every time I eat, there's a constant fear. It has made eating very difficult - and I'll have to rely on giving myself multivitamins every day to treat my allergies.

"It's a mare when people are cooking for me because my condition is a difficult thing to believe. It makes me worried that they aren't going to take it seriously, and I could end up seriously hurt. When I go to the supermarket or restaurant, I'm often googling or looking up the ingredients to ensure my safety. It has taken over a lot of my life and has become somewhat of a phobia."

Chloe has started introducing foods she's never eaten before to see if she'd react - and has now started eating raspberries. She hopes to build a healthy relationship with food and not eat in fear.

She said: "I will be allergic to those foods for the rest of my life. So I'm trying to reintroduce stuff that I’ve been so scared of eating. Over the next few years, I hope to have more varied diets and that I can eat more things. But for now, I'm going to take it slow, one bite at a time."

List of foods Chloe is allergic to:

Apple

Peach

Plum

Nectarine

Cherry

Banana

Kiwi

Carrot

Spinach

Bell peppers

Parsley

Almonds

Hazelnuts

Avocado

Raw tomato

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