Jay Ruderman:

Welcome to All About Change. Food allergies, for anyone who’s experienced them, they can be frustrating, inconvenient, and even frightening. That’s certainly true for today’s guest, Mia Silverman. Mia’s been dealing with over 50 food allergies, some of which are life-threatening, for the entirety of her life. Now, she uses her social media pages to show the world what it looks like to move through the world with so many allergies, building a community of those navigating similar struggles. Welcome to All About Change, I’m so happy you’re my guest today.

Mia Silverman:

Thank you so much for having me, Jay, and not only am I super excited to be here, but also, super honored, so thank you so much for having me.

Jay Ruderman:

Thank you, so let’s start at the beginning, with your childhood. Tell me a little bit about your childhood and when you first noticed that you had food allergies.

Mia Silverman:

I’ve had allergies my whole life, including my childhood, and that started from when I was born. So when I was about, I’d say, two years old, is when my parents noticed that my allergies were very serious, because throughout my infancy to being a two-year-old, I was very colicky. I’d cry a lot, I couldn’t tolerate breast milk or any sort of milk, I had to use formula. And it wasn’t until one day when I was about two, when my dad came home from work and brought home these cookies that had pistachios in them, or cashews, one of those nuts, I kind of forget, but I had the cookie, and immediately, my throat closed up, I was experiencing hives and rashes all over my body, I was vomiting, and I was experiencing something called anaphylaxis, which is a life-threatening reaction.

And my parents called 911, and I got an EpiPen in the ambulance, and the doctors ran lots of tests on me and found I had all these allergies. So it wasn’t until that point that my parents realized, oh, this is serious, because their daughter could’ve died. And throughout my whole childhood, allergies were a very big part of that. When I wanted to go to birthday parties, I wasn’t always invited to those, either, as a kid. I experienced lots of bullying in my childhood. So my childhood throughout it all was really just around my allergies.

Jay Ruderman:

Wow. Well, first of all, I’m so sorry for your experiences, because they sound terrifying, not only for you, but also for your parents. And when you were a baby, did they have any idea of the extent of your allergies, or it wasn’t until your father brought home those cookies?

Mia Silverman:

It wasn’t until that moment. My parents didn’t really know what allergies were, because it’s not something that’s talked about a lot in the media, online, in the news. They kind of knew that they were a thing, but they didn’t know to the extent of how life-threatening and severe they can be until they watched their daughter almost die. And that was really when they noticed, oh, gosh, this is a serious thing, and we have to do a better job of parenting and making sure we make sure our daughter has safe foods and things like that. It was a very big adjustment for my parents.

Jay Ruderman:

So tell me about being in the hospital and what they told your parents at the time of the extent of your allergies.

Mia Silverman:

Yeah, so when they came back with these test results, they said, your daughter has all these allergies, have fun, go figure it out. They didn’t really offer any resources, any sort of guidance, any support groups or mental health support for my parents, they kind of just said, your daughter has these severe allergies that could potentially kill her, and we’ll give you an allergist to see, and that’s about it. Because there’s not really a cure, there still isn’t a cure to this day, so imagine 20 years ago, or 19 years ago, where there was not really much on that, so my parents were kind of on their own.

Jay Ruderman:

So what happened? How did they determine what you are allergic to?

Mia Silverman:

So it can be done through a few ways, the first is a skin test where they will actually prick your allergens into your skin, and wait a while to see if you have a reaction, like if you have a little hive. And then, they’ll measure the hive to see if it’s a big hive or a small one, which will show kind of how severe the allergy could be. That being said, skin allergies aren’t always accurate, you can have a reaction or you may not have a reaction, but it doesn’t determine if you actually have an allergy or not.

So then you would do a blood test, as well, and that would see, as well, how does your blood or your blood cells react to these certain allergens? Those aren’t always accurate, either. So there’s a very flawed way with testing allergies, so the best possible test is a food challenge, and that’s only if your numbers are low on the skin and the blood test combined, where they would actually have you in the hospital and feed you little doses of the allergen every 15 minutes. And as each 15 minutes goes by, they’ll add more and more, and if you do react, they will stop, they will monitor you. So that’s kind of how they really test for my allergies.

Jay Ruderman:

So tell us, what are you allergic to? Because it’s a long list.

Mia Silverman:

Yeah, it’s a very long list. So I’m allergic to all nuts, including peanuts, because they’re actually a legume, but I count them as nuts, and their oils, so peanut oil, almond oil, I can’t have. I’m allergic to sesame seeds and sesame oil, I’m allergic to majority of seeds out there, including poppy seeds, flax seeds, safflower seeds, sunflower seeds. I can have sunflower oil, but that’s the only seed oil I can have. I’m allergic to dairy if it’s uncooked, which is a very weird allergy. But with my dairy allergy, I’m allergic to certain proteins in dairy, and when you cook it, like if you use cheese and put it on a pizza and it’s heated up, it kills those proteins I’m allergic to. So I’m allergic to dairy if it’s uncooked, so I can’t have it in a glass of milk or ice cream or yogurt, it has to be cooked at a high temperature for a while.

And same with eggs, I can have eggs only if it’s in a baked dish, because it dilutes it and it kills certain proteins, as well. I’m allergic to all fish and shellfish, except for tuna and cod if it’s cooked. I’m allergic to a bunch of different spices, like tarragon, sumac, za’atar, a lot of Middle Eastern spices I’m allergic to. I’m allergic to different food dyes, typically yellow and orange, and this can be also categorized as annatto, which is a more organic or natural food coloring, and then, carotene and beta-carotene. And these dyes can be found in Cheez-Its, like, any sort of yellow or orange food, you’ll find it in that. I’m allergic to sulfates, I’m allergic to lots of fruits, so I can’t have watermelon, peaches, pears, apple, cherries, kiwi. And then, I’m allergic to zucchini and eggplant, and then, a bunch of random other allergies to random natural flavorings, artificial flavorings, and things like that.

Jay Ruderman:

So you have a long list of allergies-

Mia Silverman:

Yes.

Jay Ruderman:

… how common are food allergies in the United States and the world in general?

Mia Silverman:

So 33 million people in America suffer from food allergies, so I’d say it’s fairly common. Now, I believe the statistic is, 1 in 10 children have a food allergy in America.

Jay Ruderman:

So let’s talk about growing up, when you’re in grade school. What was that like? Did the school accommodate you in terms of your allergies? Did they understand the extent of food allergies? And how did your peers, your fellow kids that were going to school with you, how did they react to your situation?

Mia Silverman:

Yeah, so it wasn’t a very positive experience. From elementary school, all they really had was a peanut-free table at the cafeteria, so you would probably see me sitting there by myself. I also experienced a lot of bullying throughout those years of school, where kids would threaten to sneak my allergens into my food to see what would happen, they would read my allergy list out loud in front of my whole class and laugh at it in front of me, and say that my allergies are a burden or they’re not real, and that I’m stupid and I’m making all this up, and that’s in my head.

Jay Ruderman:

So let’s talk about the bullying, because bullying is a huge thing in our society. How did it affect your mental health growing up?

Mia Silverman:

Yeah, well, one in three children with allergies are bullied in the United States, so it’s a serious issue in the food allergy community that’s constantly being talked about and addressed. It really affected my mental health a lot, so I experienced a lot of depression, anxiety, I had to take medication for it, went to therapy a lot for it. I went to even a few support groups at times, which didn’t really help that much, because one thing about me is that I have a very rare case of allergies. Typically, people only have a handful, but I have over 50.

And so, I’m already seen as a medically complex patient, so I’m already categorized as something else. And so, even with people in the allergy community, sometimes, like when I was younger, in these support groups and settings, they only had one or two allergies, and they still were able to maintain a social life, and I couldn’t, because I had it so much worse. So I always felt really alone and isolated, so the bullying really took a toll. And I never really looked forward to going to school because kids were always mean to me in class, and teachers wouldn’t really stop them from bullying me, either, because it would happen in front of the teachers, and they wouldn’t stop it.

Jay Ruderman:

Wow, I’m sorry for that.

Mia Silverman:

Thank you. I honestly think, though, everything happens for a reason, and even though I got bullied a lot, I kind of view it in a more positive way now, where it helped me build the confidence to actually speak up and now be an advocate so other people don’t have to go through what I went through.

Jay Ruderman:

Right, how did you transfer from someone who was extremely anxious and being bullied to someone who became an advocate and very proud of who you are and what your life is?

Mia Silverman:

So it was around COVID, when people were quarantined in their homes, doing school on Zoom, it was around March 2020, and I was obviously in my room a lot along with my thoughts, really reflecting on my life, and specifically, my allergies, and how it’s affected my life. And I kind of realized, I feel lonely, I feel frustrated, and I want to use some outlet to express my frustration and share how I feel, because maybe someone else relates. Because I just feel super lonely, and no one gets me except for my parents and my brother, and that’s really it. So I had a TikTok account, and I was posting TikToks just for fun, like silly little meme videos, nothing serious. I had a couple thousand followers.

And I posted one video where I listed my most severe allergies, kind of in a funny, quirky … I was dancing, and I was listing my allergies, and I didn’t think much of it, but I wanted to post it just to use it as outlet to express myself and get it out there. Just, it’s out of my system, I posted it, maybe one person can relate to it, great. So I posted it, and the next day, the video went very viral, it got, I believe, over a million views. And I was like, mom, dad, my brother, Maximo, my video went viral, this is insane. And they said, Mia, this could be a chance for you to find your people, to create awareness about allergies, and make a difference, and you can use your platform to help others, uplift others. And I was like, you know what? You’re totally right. And so, that’s kind of where it started.

Jay Ruderman:

And so, what do you attribute that to? Why did it go viral?

Mia Silverman:

I think it’s the shock factor, that someone could have so many allergies, because I listed at least 10 of my most severe, which was like, nuts, eggs, dairy, fish, all these ones. They’re like, what can you eat? But also, lots of comments were saying, oh my gosh, I have these allergies, too, I feel seen. So I think it was a combination of people who were shocked, but also, people who relate to it. There wasn’t really many advocates in my … When I was young, I couldn’t really find anyone to look up to, so I think probably people maybe saw that, that maybe there was someone that they could relate to, and not feel as alone.

Jay Ruderman:

Right, and after that first video that went viral, how did you then keep up your advocacy? How did you build on that?

Mia Silverman:

Yeah, so I started posting multiple parts of that video, where I listed other allergies that I had. And people kept commenting, saying, oh my gosh, I relate, keep posting more content. So then I started seeing different TikTok trends, and I would take them and make them more about allergies and relate them to allergies. I would kind of show relatable situations that I’ve gone through, like going to a party, dating, being rejected by men because of my allergies, or traveling and having to bring a whole suitcase full of snacks. And people started to resonate with that a lot, and that’s where my advocacy really began, was posting relatable, funny allergy content.

Jay Ruderman:

Right, I talk to a lot of guests who have social media reach, and there’s a lot of trolls out there, and there are people who just want to comment negatively on what you’re posting. And you’re posting something positive, you’re trying to help people, through your advocacy-

Mia Silverman:

Exactly, yeah.

Jay Ruderman:

… learn more about food allergies and how to handle it. How do you handle these trolls? What’s your policy?

Mia Silverman:

Initially, in the very beginning, I’d say the first two years of my allergy advocacy career, it took a very big toll on me. I kept even thinking, should I stop doing this? What’s the point in doing this? Because I’m just getting tons and tons of hate. But I learned that, also, people who are activists get hate all the time, people who have created social change and have changed the world have gotten hate, but they still made a difference and did positive things, so why can’t I?

Jay Ruderman:

Right, let’s talk about someone who has a food allergy, what you go through in your daily life. What’s it like to try to go out to a restaurant?

[VIDEO CLIP]

Mia Silverman:

So I was thinking about ordering the sugar butter and whipped cream mini pancakes with some strawberries, but I do have a nut allergy-

Speaker 3:

Yeah, no worries.

Mia Silverman:

… and a sesame allergy-

 

Speaker 3:

Yeah, no worries.

Mia Silverman:

… and all seafood, including shellfish. If you could just let the kitchen know to use clean gloves and clean-

Speaker 3:

Yeah, no worries, [inaudible 00:13:35].

Mia Silverman:

… when they make … Okay, thank you. 

Mia Silverman:

Oh my gosh, yeah, so you can’t just go to any restaurant and eat whatever you want. That’s something I wish I could experience, and that’s a luxury, and that’s a privilege. So for me personally, I have to first Google best allergy-friendly restaurants in New York City, for example. And from there, I would see restaurants, but that doesn’t always tell me anything, so I’ll stick to cuisines I know I can eat. So I can easily eat Italian food or American food, and from there, I’ll call the restaurant that has the best reviews, like a five or four-star restaurant. I’m like, you know what? This seems promising.

So I’ll call them, I’ll ask to speak to the manager, and say, hey, I have a lot of allergies, what’s your allergy protocol? How do you handle something called cross-contact? And cross-contact basically means the risk of allergens touching your food, coming in contact with it, not on purpose, but by accident, because it happens in kitchens all the time. It’s something that people in the allergy community fear a lot, including myself.

And then, I’d ask, if anything, can you make me something safe? Do you think you could even accommodate me? Because it’s a lot to ask for, because you guys are really busy, if this restaurant is a popular restaurant. And from there, if they say, yes, I’ll go forward and I’ll go to the restaurant, and I will, again, ask for the manager, talk to the chef, as well, make sure, hey, are you sure you can accommodate me? And they say, yes, they’ll make me my food, they’ll bring it over. And I usually will ask again to double, triple check, saying, hey, can you confirm that this is safe? So I’ve had times where I would be brought food that is supposed to be safe, and it’s sent me to the hospital.

Jay Ruderman:

Wow, what is that like? You’re at the restaurant, you’re served something, you take a bite, and then, immediately, you know something’s wrong.

Mia Silverman:

Yeah, so for example, over the summer, I went to one of my restaurants that I really love to go to, and this is no shade to the restaurant, because they handled it very well after, and I really appreciate it. So this is not me bashing them in any way, it was a mistake, but I ordered a burrito bowl kind of dish, and they brought it to me. And it looked like what I ordered, but inside, there was rice, corn, all these things, but the rice and corn that I thought it was, was actually scrambled eggs, and I couldn’t tell. And also, it had everything bagel seasoning sauce, which has sesame and all the other seeds I’m allergic to, but you couldn’t tell, because it was a sauce, not like with the actual seeds.

I took a bite of it, and I’m like, this does not taste like rice and corn, this tastes like eggs, which I’ve had eggs before for a food challenge or something before. I was like, this is bad, so I run to the manager and I say, hey, what happened? This is the wrong order. Was there a mistake? And the manager’s like, oh, shoot, yes, there was. And I realized, oh my gosh, this is bad, because I’m severely allergic to eggs and sesame, so it was a double allergy, double whammy. And my throat began to close up immediately, and my friend was there, and I was like, please call 911 right now, I’m having an anaphylactic reaction. I administered an EpiPen right then and there, and then was sent away.

And so, it feels very scary and empowering at the same time, because I was able to save my own life, but in that moment, I felt like I was being watched, I was very vulnerable, like a wounded animal, and it felt very, very traumatizing, and it did not feel real. It was like an out-of-body experience, which is what, usually, anaphylaxis does.

Jay Ruderman:

And tell me about taking on companies, because I know that you’ve gone after some companies that have not done the right thing, and can you give us a couple of examples of that?

Mia Silverman:

Yeah, so I called out Starbucks two years ago, and I think The Independent did an article on me, and I think a few others did. And did they respond or make any sort of statement? No.

Jay Ruderman:

I think the important thing with taking on a company is that, even if they don’t respond, they see it-

Mia Silverman:

Yes.

Jay Ruderman:

… and they internalize it.

Mia Silverman:

Yes.

Jay Ruderman:

So your impact might not be validated by them, but they’re seeing it. I remember something that I had done, where there was a man who was in a mechanical wheelchair, and he called the airline and said, I’m coming, I have a ticket, I’m coming on my honeymoon. And they said, yep, okay, we’ll accommodate you. He came, they’re like, we can’t accommodate you, we cannot fly you, they wouldn’t fly him and his fiance to the honeymoon. I actually came out and spoke out against it.

Mia Silverman:

Wow.

Jay Ruderman:

The airline didn’t respond, but they did make it up to him, and they were able to fly him-

Mia Silverman:

That’s amazing, good.

Jay Ruderman:

… on a different plane. And he actually is someone that passed away, but he wrote me a letter, and he said that your advocacy on my behalf actually changed my life. So you might not hear it from the company right away, but believe me, people are internalizing what you’re saying, and they’re thinking, how can we do a better job?

Mia Silverman:

Absolutely, I think allyship is super important, because people like me, people that have … Because allergies, I think, are a disability, and so, for example, with this person you were just talking about, we need to have people that aren’t disabled, that are able-bodied, to also speak up for us and stand up for us, because that’s also what really helps create change, and to also lift us up and give us space to also share how we feel to make those changes happen. So thank you for doing that for him, because that’s what it takes, we need allies for all disabilities to really help uplift us so we can succeed and actually enjoy our lives and do what normal people do.

Jay Ruderman:

Right. Well, I think most people want the world to be a more equitable place.

Mia Silverman:

Absolutely.

Jay Ruderman:

They want people to be welcomed and to enjoy the world, and to enjoy the ability to see the world. And I want to talk to you a little bit about travel, because travel is extremely complex for you.

[VIDEO CLIP]

Mia Silverman:

Hi, how are you?

Speaker 4:

Hi, how are you?

Mia Silverman:

Good, thank you. I’m sitting in 16B, and I have a severe nut allergy.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, we’ll [inaudible 00:19:32].

Mia Silverman:

Okay, thank you so much, I really appreciate it.

Speaker 4:

Okay, thank you.

Jay Ruderman:

So I know you recently traveled to Europe, and can you talk about the process of what you had to do to go to Europe, and what was it like getting on the plane?

Mia Silverman:

Anything in my life, anything that the normal person does that thinks it’s easy, for me, it’s a process. That also includes traveling. So with boarding an airplane, for starters, I have to board early with the people that have disabilities, because they don’t always wipe down the seats, and there could be someone that sat on my seat prior and ate nuts or an allergen of mine, and they didn’t wipe down the seat, which is what happens, and I want to first prevent that and prevent that risk. So I usually board first, wipe down my seat and everything, and I talked to the flight attendants and tell them, hey, I have a severe nut allergy, because that’s my most severe, that’s my most airborne allergy. Everything else isn’t airborne, but they still are severe enough.

I tell the flight attendants that, and I say, I’m sitting in this seat, can you please tell the row in front of me and the row behind me to not eat nuts? If they’re going to eat nuts, to go to the back of the plane, or the front, and eat them, then come back. And they usually will do that, and also make an announcement saying, there’s someone on the plane that has a nut allergy, we’re either not going to serve nuts, or if you want to eat nuts, you have to go up front to eat them. That’s the first thing that has to happen with traveling. In terms of having to find hotels and locations, we always stay in locations that have good healthcare, because in case something were to happen, I at least want to be in a place that has good healthcare and can make sure I don’t die, because that can happen.

And in addition to that, I also tend to bring a little carry-on with tons of allergy-safe snacks, because when we’re out touristing and there’s no safe restaurants, I want to be able to eat something, because we’re going to be out all day walking around, I’m going to get tired. And it’s hard to find snacks that are safe, or foods that are safe, so I usually will bring some with me when on the go. In addition to that, being able to have allergy cards in different languages, so I have allergy cards that list all my allergies in Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, for example, and so, when we were traveling to Italy, for example, years ago, I used that. But now, because of modern technology, you have ChatGPT, and I can just use that, and it makes life so much easier, and it actually accurately translates everything compared to my previous cards.

In addition to that, we have to make sure that we’re staying at a hotel that … Usually, when we stay at hotels, we’ll call and ask them if they can make me meals that are safe for me, which is really important, and that we’ll look for safe restaurants. I’ll look at them usually ahead of time a little bit, and sometimes we’ll just kind of walk around and I’ll talk to different managers at different restaurants to see if it’s safe. And we did one night, and I posted a video about this, and it got a lot of hate, where we took my family eight or nine attempts to find a safe restaurant-

Jay Ruderman:

Right, I remember that.

Mia Silverman:

And it was very, very frustrating, and people were saying, I should plan ahead better. But everyone handles allergies differently, and usually, I do call in advance, but sometimes plans do change when you travel a lot, and so, you have to just be really flexible. So I’d say overall, having to plan ahead, packing lots of safe foods, also having to pack tons of medication with you. I usually bring between three to four EpiPens with me, and Zyrtec and Benadryl, as well, and other medications that could be lifesaving, just bringing a lot of things with you that the average person would not bring with them and lug around. So it’s definitely a lot more challenging, but my family has a lot of patience because it’s what they’re used to, and what I’m used to. So it’s not like it’s … It is difficult, but I’m just used to it and don’t see it any other way, and same with my family.

Jay Ruderman:

So your social media has become so popular that you’ve been able to monetize your social media. I mean, I know you’re a student in school, you’re working, does that help you in terms of your own life? Are you able to put that back into your advocacy?

Mia Silverman:

Yeah, so I’d say my social media page really helps. First of all, it does pay my bills, which I’m very grateful for, and I’m able to save money, invest in money, which I’m really, really grateful for. And it’s opened many doors for me, in terms of monetization, if other brands reach out to me to collaborate with me, and large nonprofits and large companies. So it hasn’t necessarily … The money itself has benefited my career, but people have noticed that my account does get a lot of reach and views, and so, more people want to work with me, such as being on this podcast. So I think that’s kind of what has helped with my career, not the money part, but …

Jay Ruderman:

So what organizations and companies have reached out to you that you’ve decided to work with?

Mia Silverman:

… I’ve done work with FAACT, which stands for Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team, and they’re an amazing nonprofit that offers resources such as mental health support and relationship support, and schools and IEPs. Anything that’s important in any person’s life, they have, any aspect of life that you can think of, like going to college, what are the best colleges for people that have allergies? All these different things, FAACT has. I’m actually speaking in their conference in Chicago next week, which I’m super excited about.

Jay Ruderman:

Oh, awesome.

Mia Silverman:

Yeah. I’ve had brands like GoodRX do work with me twice, CVS has done work with me. I’ve done work with a mental health app called Finch, where I create content for them on the side, as well, but I also like to integrate food allergies into that. So lots of really diverse brands have reached out. Oh, and Tide, Tide.

Jay Ruderman:

That’s awesome, that’s awesome, it shows that you really have had a very strong reach. As a college student, what are your social interactions like? You go to parties, that must be really difficult.

Mia Silverman:

It’s very difficult, but thankfully, college is the actual time where I was able to make really nice friends, and people who are open-minded and mature and are willing to be accommodating and let me be in control. So what I mean by this is, when we go out to get dinner, my friends say, hey, Mia, you pick the restaurant, you pick where you want to eat that’s safe for you, and we’ll go there, and we’ll do that, instead of them picking a restaurant.

And then, with parties, my friends sometimes will make sure to have a sign that says … They’ll have a table with a bowl of popcorn and some fruit, other goodies, and it’ll say, please use a spoon that’s in these bowls, don’t cross-contact anything, because of allergies. And with other aspects of my social life, like dating, for example, was always really hard. I have a boyfriend who’s very amazing and very accommodating, but before that, men would say that it’s a burden, that they don’t want to deal with it, it’s an inconvenience. But for the most part, social life-wise, it’s been actually very positive in college compared to high school, middle school, and elementary school.

Jay Ruderman:

So it sounds like you’ve really made some good friends who understand what you’re going through, which is really important as you go through life. What do you want people to know about what it’s like to live with a severe food allergy that they may not know?

Mia Silverman:

I would say, the first thing to know is that, people that have a severe food allergy or multiple of them, they tend to suffer … Or at least, they can live in fear, they often have anxiety, and so, when you want to be what’s called an allergy ally, you have to, first of all, be open-minded and be empathetic and be patient, and listen to them. So the first step is to be open-minded, because you don’t have to know everything, that’s not expected. So if anything, ask questions to that person, if you’re friends with them. Say, hey, I don’t really know much about allergies, but I want to know. What are the things that I should know about? What are your allergies? How severe are they? How can I use EpiPen, so in case we’re in a situation that’s life-threatening, I can save your life and help you?

And just, I think, being empathetic and patient, because people that have food allergies that are really severe, people often live in fear and are anxious, because they’re always worried that the food that they can eat could potentially kill them or put them in a very life-threatening situation. So I think just being kind, patient, empathetic, the basics of being a human being, a normal, empathetic, kind human being, I would say.

Jay Ruderman:

So where do you want to see your advocacy go? I mean, you have your social media, your social media is strong, you have a reach of hundreds of thousands, millions of people. What do you want to do in the future as an advocate?

Mia Silverman:

Yeah, so I noticed that in order to make actual change, you have to work with the system, because the system, that’s where change has to be done to actually make it so people like me can feel safe and feel included. So I’m now doing a research study with NYU Langone, which is our hospital, working with their allergy department to improve the physician-patient experience. Because one of our issues that we have in food allergies in general is the lack of mental health support and care and acknowledgement, so patients that undergo a certain treatment, which is called oral immunotherapy, where they’re microdosing peanuts, oftentimes, they experience anxiety and fear, and the physicians don’t know how to address or how to best support them.

So I’m trying to create intervention to bridge that gap, because that’s what will actually make a difference, is working with the system, working with the medical system, especially, because we don’t always feel like we’re seen or heard or validated with our mental health concerns. Because as I said earlier, I’ve experienced depression and anxiety because of my allergies and from bullying, and all these different things, so I want to constantly work with the system to improve it so people like me feel safe. So I’m applying to grad school to become a food allergy psychologist, to, one, do research to figure out other interventions to help people like me, and also, physicians, so they can also feel like they’re doing the right thing and helping their patients the best that they possibly could.

Also, offer mental health support to patients, because I also feel like there’s a lot of mental health that comes into play with food allergies, like anxiety, where people can experience allergy-like symptoms, but it’s actually just anxiety, not anaphylaxis. I want my future patients to feel like they can be empowered with their allergies, and so they think they can live a good life, and not let it stop from doing what they want to do, and what they love. And so, yeah, overall, I want to fix the system and help people on a personal level, because I saw a food allergy psychologist years ago, and she changed my life …

Jay Ruderman:

Wow.

Mia Silverman:

… and that’s why I want to do what she does, but also get really involved.

Jay Ruderman:

How did she do that?

Mia Silverman:

She changed my life in a lot of ways, especially with my reactions. So I would experience hives and think, oh my gosh, I’m going to have a reaction, but it’s just anxiety. So she taught me really helpful coping strategies, breathing strategies, and to really notice, hey, how can I tell whether this is actually going to get worse and be a reaction or it’s just anxiety? So instead of jumping to taking Benadryl like I used to do, she said, how about you wait 10, 20 minutes, drink lots of water, listen to some music, distract yourself, and see how you feel in 10 minutes? If you still feel bad, take a Benadryl or a Zyrtec, but if not, then wait it out. And I noticed, huh, my hive went away, it was just anxiety.

And so, I kind of was able to realize, okay, I’m having a real reaction, I’m able to now stay calm and know what to do so it doesn’t escalate anymore. Because the more anxious you are, the more adrenaline you have, the more [inaudible 00:30:45] you have, and it makes it worse, it exacerbates it, so why can’t you just learn to kind of stay calm and know that you’re going to be okay and safe? And that’s what she really taught me throughout the years, and it really helped a lot.

Jay Ruderman:

That’s great.

Mia Silverman:

And I feel like I want to help people that are in my shoes, because having food allergies are really hard and really scary, but you can also live a really great life. You can still travel, you can still date, you can make friends. It should not stop you from doing what you want to do and living a good life.

Jay Ruderman:

Well, Mia, I think you’re mature beyond your years, and-

Mia Silverman:

Thank you.

Jay Ruderman:

… you’re really going to make a difference in this world. I think what you said is something that’s really smart, because a lot of times, people see advocacy as shouting and complaining and pointing out what’s wrong, but if you really want to make change, I think you have to work with people in positions of power and convince them how they can become better-

Mia Silverman:

Exactly.

Jay Ruderman:

… which is a really wise insight.

Mia Silverman:

Thank you, absolutely.

Jay Ruderman:

So I know you have so much on your plate, you’re at school, you have other jobs, you have your social media, your advocacy. I really am in awe and inspired by what you do, and thank you so much for being my guest on All About Change.

Mia Silverman:

Thank you, Jay.

Jay Ruderman:

I really enjoyed our conversation, and I’m proud of you. Today’s episode was produced by Yochai Maital and Mijon Zulu. To check out more episodes or to learn more about the show, you can visit our website, allaboutchangepodcast.com. If you like our show, spread the word, tell a friend or family member, or leave us a review on your favorite podcasting app. We’d really appreciate it. All About Change is produced by the Ruderman Family Foundation. That’s all for now, I’m Jay Ruderman, and we’ll see you next time on All About Change.