A woman who is 'allergic to strong emotions' says she could be killed by sweating, laughing or being sad.
Natasha Coates is a member of British Disability Gymnastics and has mast cell activation syndrome.
This means that changes to her body’s status quo, such as sweating or laughing, can cause a life-threatening allergic reaction.
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And Natasha is so worried, she planned her own funeral when she was aged just 20.
Opening up to The Mirror in an emotional first-hand article, Natasha admitted that even a night out could end in disaster.
"When you’re on a night out with friends and you go into anaphylactic shock just from laughing too much, it puts a downer on the evening" she said.
And that's exactly what happened to her.
She explained: "We were having a good laugh when my tongue and throat swelled up.
"One friend called an ambulance, while another helped me use my EpiPen to stop me choking and suffocating to death.
"They stroked my hair, telling me I’d be OK as I lost consciousness before being whisked into intensive care. Quite the end to a night out."
Talking more about her condition, Natasha added: "I’m allergic to strong emotions. Any changes to my body’s status quo – whether I’m laughing, crying, sad or stressed – can cause a chemical reaction.
"It happens almost every day and I’ve been hospitalised more than 500 times.
"When I feel it starting, I get upset and try to suppress it, otherwise I’ll have a worse reaction – it’s a vicious circle."
Explaining mast cell activation syndrome, Natasha said: "When a nettle sting gives you a raised, itchy bump, that’s caused by histamine, a chemical that comes from your mast cells. In my body, those mast cells are hypersensitive.
"They release too many chemicals in response to a minor attack – like a nettle sting or a food intolerance.
"My body even does it spontaneously – releasing the chemicals for no reason. So I’m allergic to nothing and everything, all at the same time."
When she was younger, Natasha said she's frequently get ill and have strange reactions to different foods, however she assumed she was just 'sensitive'.
However, she had her first experience of anaphylactic shock, aged 18.
"I was at a big public event when I suddenly felt shaky, dizzy and found it hard to breathe," she said.
"I was taken to hospital with a police escort."
"I was unconscious, so I missed all the excitement, but when I came round in hospital I was frightened.
"Doctors reassured me this can happen with our bodies, once in a blue moon, so I went home thinking, 'I’ve had my once-in-a-lifetime reaction,'"
However, after that, she had eight reactions in two weeks that landed her back in A&E.
"I now deal with this severity of reaction at home on a regular basis," she said.
"But back then, if my tongue was swelling, I’d immediately get medical help."
Natasha said she searched for a 'specific trigger' for a long time.
"If I had a reaction after eating tuna, I’d assume it was fish," she said.
"I was down to eating only chicken, potato and broccoli for months and became malnourished."
Her studies and gymnastics training were also suffering as she went through what she calls 'modern-day torture'.
"I never knew what would cause a reaction next," she said. "The medics were just as baffled as me."
Finally after two years, Natasha was diagnosed with mast cell activation syndrome.
She's now on medication and there’s a protocol in place to keep her safe.
Natasha's recently moved out of her parents’ home and now lives on her own, but has a personal assistant five days a week.
"I’ve got assistive technology, too. If I press a button on my watch, the lights on the front of my house change to red and an ambulance is called," she said.
All of her friends are EpiPen-trained too, however she admits her family after often 'frightened' as they 'wonder which reaction is going to be her last'.
"I feel like a ticking time bomb," she sadly admitted.
As well as emotions, Natasha is allergic to body sprays, cleaning products and scented candles and is sensitive to many foods.
"Eating is still a bit like Russian roulette," she said. "A food that’s fine today could give me an allergic reaction tomorrow."
Natasha says she's 'had to accept' that her condition could kill her and said she's planned her funeral already.
"I took some control back when I planned my funeral aged 20," she said.
"I know that’s not normal but by being organised, I know I’m having a Beyoncé song!"
She also has directives at the hospital about situations where she does or doesn't want treatment, so her family 'won’t have to make those awful decisions'.
"Being an athlete, I’m a perfectionist – even when I’m dead, I want everything to go right," she said.
Natasha says gymnastics has saved her life – not just the physically, but mentally.
"I can go to the gym and focus on that," she says.
However, sometimes her condition means she can't feel her arms or legs, and any injury can cause a reaction.
"I badly damaged my knee in 2019 and went into anaphylaxis," she said.
Sweating can also make her react too, however she says: "I’ve lived with this for so long I know how far I can push myself.
It’s the same with laughing – it doesn’t happen as much now that I’m better medicated and can feel when I need to calm down."
Natasha admits she does avoid social situations sometimes, but goes on a 'risk versus reward basis'
"I study menus beforehand, take extra medication and hope for the best," she admits.
"I need to know where the nearest hospital is, that I’ve got my care plan and enough medication."
She also only goes on holiday in the UK as "me on a plane won’t go too well".
Talking about her situation, Natasha said she's 'not okay' with it, and would love to find a cure.
She concluded: "I can cope with anything but I’m allowed to have bad days. There’s no point pretending it’s OK – because I’m not OK with it.
"If I could click my fingers and be cured, I’d do it instantly. Keeping myself alive is a full-time job."
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