“Do You Have an EpiPen on You?” — Woman With Severe Allergies Asks to Board Flight Early

If you've got a severe food allergy and need to be stuck in a tin can gliding through the air for hours at a time, stuck in a seat, you should make sure that those around you know something bad can go down if someone cracks open a package of nuts.

Mia (@allergieswithmia) posts a lot of TikTok content dealing with what her life is like in various situations as she deals with her food allergies — and how she prepares for each situation to make sure that she doesn't suffer an attack from out of nowhere.

In a recent video she uploaded to the popular social media platform, Mia documented what it was like as she prepared to board a plane, and how she went out of her way to alert flight staff to her condition.

"Hi how are you? Question so I have severe food allergies, can I board the plane early so I can wipe down my seat and everything?" she said.

From the sound of the flight attendant's voice off-camera, it appears that they're understanding of Mia's request and they're going to let her get on the plane before others so she can properly clean her seat before sitting down.

Mia continues to speak: "For disabilities probably? OK, thank you so much. I really appreciate it."

The video then cuts to her talking into the camera and she's rocking an orange cloth mask. "I'm wearing a mask. I have my medicine on me and everything but could you let like the rows in between me ... yeah," she says to the flight attendant, again, who seems to comply with her request.

The video then pans to her detailing what it's like traveling with her severe food allergies. She's walking through the aisle of the plane, still wearing a mask.

A flight attendant asks her if she has an EpiPen, Mia responds, "Yeah I have like three packs on me one in my backpack. ... I have one on my backpack, and then two sets in here," she says, indicating in a text overlay that it's in her carry on luggage.

The flight attendant acknowledges the information Mia just relayed to her before going on to recommend that, in case of an emergency, those EpiPens are easy for her or anyone else to grab.

"Try to make it so it's accessible," she says before Mia goes on to state, "I have a face mask just to be safe, but I took like a bunch of Zyrtec today and everything," she says, indicating that she's letting the flight attendants know she's taken necessary steps to ensure that she's able to have the safest flight possible.

Mia then records herself thanking the flight attendant for all of their assistance: "Thank you so much. What's your name?"

The two exchange names and the TikToker thanks her again.

Mia went on to explain the importance of "advocating" for yourself when you're traveling by letting others around you know about your allergy.

Folks who responded to her video stated that they were impressed with the politeness she displayed to the flight staff and the measures she took in order to ensure she was going to give herself the highest possible chance for a successful flight without incident. "You are proactive, polite, and brave," one person wrote.

Another person, who didn't seem to have severe allergies themselves, remarked that they would've been very appreciative to hear from another flier if they had a particularly visceral reaction to certain types of foods: "Honestly, I would be so thankful if my row partners let me know they have a severe allergy so I can be mindful of it. It’s gotta be so scary having severe allergies."

One TikTok user wrote that they while aboard a flight they heard an announcement from staff that nuts wouldn't be available on the flight in order to make sure one of their fellow passengers was safe: "The last time I flew they announced they weren't serving nuts because there was somebody with a severe nut allergy on the plane. I was pleased to hear it. I'm glad the person could be safe."

If you or someone you know suffers from severe allergies and want to know which airlines do its best to accommodate passengers with this disability, Spokin compiled a list of some and ranked them from top to bottom in order of the "friendliest" approaches they have to caring for those with these allergies.

According to the outlet, JetBlue brings home the prize for the most allergy-friendly airline. Other airlines who received honorable mentions: Southwest, Delta, British Airways, and Alaska.