And then the family found Dr. Gerald Gleich, a Salt Lake City allergist and immunologist, who had worked at Mayo Clinic and researched similar disorders. They discovered that Alex was allergic to the proteins found in food, and for the past four years he’s fed himself a high-calorie, nutrient-based formula through a feeding tube.
Gleich prescribed medications and dietary formulas for severe allergies and Mast Cell Activation Disorder, a genetic condition that makes people susceptible to hives, itching, and anaphylactic shock.
“That’s hard because I remember what food tastes like,” Alex told People. “The sight of food and the smell of food – especially something I used to love – can make me crave it.”
Though he missed over 300 days of high school due to his illness, Alex managed to keep his grades up, graduating with a 3.6 GPA.
Alex remains positive about his diagnosis, and plans on attending college for computer programming, which led his parents to create a GoFundMe page. With medications costing about $7,000 a month, there is little room in their budget to pay for college.
“Alex remains an amazing, positive individual,” says his parents on Alex’s GoFundMe page.
“He cooks food for his friends; he takes his girlfriend out for ice cream. He never makes anyone feel bad about eating in front of him. He is just excited to feel good enough to not spend all of his time in bed. He feeds himself through his feeding tube and deals with all of the strange looks and comments with humor.”
Alex closed his People interview with a fact about food in our lives today. “Everything in our society revolves around food, but I’ve learned to live with it. I remember what it tastes like. And that will have to be enough.”
Article Appeared @https://www.yahoo.com/health/utah-teen-discovered-hes-allergic-to-food-all-125362763342.html