How This Joke on Netflix's 'Alexa & Katie' Hurts Those With Food Allergies

Be better, Netflix.

The Netflix show “Alexa & Katie” is about two best friends and how they navigate high-school, grades, boys, but most of all, how they deal when one of them is diagnosed with cancer. It is one of my favorite shows to put on. When I see the red new episodes sign in the corner of the picture — I immediately curl up to binge watch them all. I mean they are only 20 minutes long! The show touches on some really sensitive subject matter. In between the light talk of boys and basketball are the issues of chemo, hair loss and all of the feelings going along with that. This is a show I usually would be proud to show my daughter. It teaches kids and teens to be brave, inclusive and kind. It treats disabilities and challenges with respect. At least it did until…

My husband and I were sitting down, eating some snacks and watching the Christmas episode of the latest season (Episode 5, All I Want for Christmas is You), when all of a sudden we both froze. This show, about medical needs and acceptance, made an EpiPen joke.

One of the customers in the coffee shop asks Katie (who works as a barista) for more foam on her latte. Katie, being frazzled and frustrated, grabs some nutmeg and sprinkles it all over the customer’s coffee. The customer then says “Nutmeg, eh I have my EpiPen” — cue laugh track. And the show moves on.

This is not funny. Laughing about an allergy or an EpiPen is not a cool way to get laughs. You know what the show did? It made light of something very serious. It implies to kids, teenagers and adults that “hey, you can give me what could kill me as long as I have my EpiPen.”

I wonder if Netflix or the show “Alexa & Katie” have any clue that every three minutes, a reaction due to food allergies sends someone to the emergency room. Did they know that if someone consumes their allergen, use of an EpiPen needs to be done within minutes and may need to be done with more than one EpiPen? Finally, did they know that EpiPens do not work every time? Or maybe I should send them over the list of children who have died because they didn’t have their EpiPen present or they didn’t get to it in time.

Did they know that one in three children — yes one in three kids — are bullied because of their food allergy (Food Allergy Research and Education, Facts and Statistics). And if the child has allergies to more than two foods, over half reported being bullied because of it. Factor in that a widely watched television show finds that food allergies are OK to joke about, and what do we have? More media making my daughter feel silly for her medical condition. More outlets making parents feel like they can’t trust others, because they may be looked down upon for protecting their child.

As a food allergy mom, I struggle with a lot of anxiety. And as I read through these food allergy facts, I learned I am not alone. Parents of children under the age of 5 have significantly higher blood pressure and report high levels of psychosocial stress then moms of kids without food allergies (Food Allergy Research and Education, Facts and Statistics). Many food allergy parents avoid restaurants all together. More than a quarter of food allergy parents surveyed said that their kids don’t participate in sleepovers or camps, don’t go to restaurants, and 10 percent avoid play dates with friends. This is all because of food allergies. These statistics should be enough to make the world stop joking about a worldwide epidemic and start taking notice about how many families deal with this on a daily basis.

This joke took up exactly 12 seconds of the show, but is forever burned into my mind. To everyone who doesn’t deal with food allergies on a daily basis, this joke implies that food allergies are curable and can easily be handled with the simple use of an EpiPen. And to all of us who deal with food allergies every single day, the joke increases our anxiety that much more.

We can make the difference that the media is not having the courage to make. Take this opportunity to talk with your kids. Let them know how serious food allergies are.