Summertime blues
Poor little Carys is allergic to sunshine, grass, swimming pools... and even ice cream
MOST of us can’t wait to go outside once summer arrives… but for one little girl with severe allergies, it is the worst time of the year.
Four-year-old Carys Pickles is allergic to everything from sunshine to ice cream.
Carys, who has severely sensitive skin, ends up covered in itchy hives if she is in the sun for five minutes.
She also reacts to the chlorine in swimming pools, sunscreen, grass and has an intolerance to cow’s milk.
Carys was even not able to enjoy a Bank Holiday family barbecue – with dad Liam, 30, and sisters Amelia, five, and ninemonth-old Phoebe – because of her severe tomato ketchup allergy.
Her mum, Sophie, 25, has had to cancel their summer holiday this year for fear that Carys will have a potentially fatal reaction abroad.
Stay-at-home mum Sophie, from Nuneaton, Warks, said: “Summer is meant to be the most exciting time of year for kids, but for Carys it’s one of the most dangerous.”
Carys has suffered reactions since birth, being rushed to hospital several times with life-threatening episodes. Sophie said: “Every day it seems there’s something new that Carys reacts to, and it’s a constant fear of how bad the next reaction will be.
“It started off as her just getting red patches across her body, but now she can get completely swollen from head to toe in five minutes.”
She added: “When she’s in the sun, she not only burns from the heat in minutes, but we also have to keep her at a constant temperature, otherwise she will overheat and start to swell.
“So we have to make sure she’s covered by umbrellas, has a fan on her and is kept completely cool if she leaves the house. She can’t even lay on the grass because [it] brings her out
in painful hives.”