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This episode is the third in a series of recent discussions about Food Allergies and Intimacy. I encourage you to listen to Parts 1 and 2 to provide the medical background and social/emotional context for this episode.

In this deeply touching conversation, I sit down with Portia Barton, whose tween daughter Charlotte tragically died in 2022 from a mysterious allergic reaction. While she shared part of the story at the time, understandably some details remained unclear as the family processed and mourned their child's death, and gathered information trying to understand the events that led to her passing. Portia now feels ready to share the full story in order to inform and protect the food allergy community.

This episode is a quiet conversation with powerful resonance. Portia's courage in sharing her story invites empathy and fosters awareness that intimacy with food allergies can have life-and-death consequences.

Trigger Warning:
This episode contains detailed discussion of the events leading to the tragic death of a child due to an allergic reaction triggered by a kiss. This description may be distressing—please listen with care and consider skipping if you're experiencing the loss of a loved one or have young children present. This episode may be best processed with supportive company.

Please know that we did not share this conversation in order to shock or ignite fear in the food allergy community. Instead, we feel this is important information for young people and parents to understand in order to grasp the reality of the potential risks of kissing with food allergies.

Portia has generously made herself available to any questions/discussions that the audience may have. Please be respectful and considerate of the family's loss in any comments shared with her directly or on social media.

You can follow Charlotte's legacy here:
About | Live Like Charlotte
@livelikechar

You can follow Portia's grief journey on social media @iamportiabarton

Thank you again to Portia for sharing this important story. 💙

Special thanks to Kyle Dine for permission to use his song The Doghouse for the podcast theme!
www.kyledine.com

Find Dr. Whitehouse:
-thefoodallergypsychologist.com
-Instagram: @thefoodallergypsychologist
-Facebook: Dr. Amanda Whitehouse, Food Allergy Anxiety Psychologist
-welcome@dramandawhitehouse.com