The challenge of allergies

(Editor's note: Tuckahoe Middle School seventh-grade English students recently wrote editorials designed to persuade Henrico citizens to read, listen to or watch a story or book that reflected their individual cultures, as a way to help others better understand them. This is one of those editorials; click here to read others.)

Hello, I am Jackson Mayfield. I am a male with terrible allergies. I belong to the Henrico County community and have lived here for my entire life and for the foreseeable future. My family has always had bad allergies. In fact, my grandmother had to move cities because of her horrendous allergies. Lets just say, unfortunately, I got her gene. Every transition to spring or fall I have to take a sick day most of the time. My body also reacts to fruits and vegetables sometimes. For example, in the fall I can’t eat strawberries, avocados, and kiwis. It is the pits.

I can relate heavily to the song Avant Gardener by Courtney Barnett. She talks about her life threatening asthma, killer allergic reactions to pollen, and her symptoms. The problem is she has no idea that she has these allergies. She gets an ambulance to the emergency room and figures out she has asthma. Luckily, I don’t have asthma but the symptoms of her allergic reactions sound familiar to mine. Specifically the line, “My throat feels like a funnel filled with Weet Bix and Kerosene and. . . ” because I get an itchy throat way too often and it feels like someone crammed a back-scratcher down my throat and jabbed it into my uvula. It makes it feel better to know that others understand my pain, especially one of my favorite artists.

Not many people know but Richmond and Henrico County are notorious for their high pollen counts. Richmond being listed as the second most challenging place to live with seasonal allergies by The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, just below Scranton, Pennsylvania. I think people should understand the struggle we pollen haters endure each season and understand that during the spring being “too tired” is a legitimate excuse. In conclusion, understanding that Richmond has terribly high pollen amounts is essential for anyone living in Henrico and the surrounding areas.