When her daughter started to scream in pain after being introduced to chocolate, Kathryn Emslie realised something was far wrong.
She later discovered Niamh’s distress was caused by a food allergy and her sister Hadyn (3) has since become affected by the same condition.
Niamh (7) is allergic to wheat gluten, soya milk and dairy products, while Hadyn shares her big sister’s allergies, as well as being badly affected by some fruits.
The problem came to light when Niamh was a year old and was given a square of chocolate by a well-meaning grandparent.
“The next minute she had diarrhoea and stomach pains,” Kathryn said. “This went on for a couple of months and every time she had milk she ended up in a foetal position screaming in pain.
“I couldn’t even pick her up because she was so sore. She was put on special rice milk and seemed OK on that.”
Niamh later developed a gluten allergy and Kathryn said she learned by trial and error when a certain food should be avoided.
“Back then there wasn’t as much help as there is now and you were just left to get on with it,” she explained. “At the start I bought a lot of the ‘free from’ stuff but it is very expensive a loaf of bread can be £2 for 10 slices.
“At one point I was cooking three different meals but now I make things we can all eat. When I am shopping I have to check every label every time. Something could be fine one week but the same thing could be a problem the next because the recipe has been changed.”
Niamh, a pupil at Andover Primary in Brechin, also takes a packed lunch to school to avoid becoming ill.
One of the few avenues Kathryn and husband Chris (37) felt they could turn to for help and support was Allergy UK and since then the family have been keen supporters of the charity.
As a result, the 5km Big Fun Run (link) has become an annual event. This year, Kathryn and Niamh will take part in the event at Camperdown Park on September 17, joined for the first time by little Hadyn.
“The reason we do it every year is not just to raise funds for the charity but also to raise awareness of the problem,” added Kathryn.