Mum whose daughter is allergic to the cold left stressed as heating bills soar
One Sussex mum whose daughter is severely allergic to the cold is seriously concerned over how she'll manage to afford to keep the house warm this winter.
Mum-of-four Nikki generally has to keep the heating on non-stop during the colder months to stop her ten-year-old daughter Summer-Angel from breaking out in rashes and hives.
But with her bills set to double in the ongoing cost of living crisis, Nikki has no idea how she's going to manage this year.
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Summer-Angel was diagnosed with cold urticaria at just one year old, but Nikki says it's been almost impossible to control over the years.
Explaining her child's unusual condition, the full-time carer said: "When Summer has a reaction, it's incredibly painful for her."
"It doesn't even have to be that cold for her rashes to come up - so in winter the heating is on all the time without question."
All it takes is for temperatures to drop below 20 degrees for Summer-Angel's skin to turn itchy and red.
"I can't even really afford what we're paying at the moment," the mum admitted. "I'm petrified what will happen to Summer. I feel so helpless."
Summer is already taking prescribed antihistamine medications for her flare-ups, but in recent months, her family suspect that the youngster's condition has gotten worse. Even a summer breeze or a cold drink can cause her skin to break out or throat to swell up now, her mum claims.
"It's quite a rare thing, not a lot of people know what the condition is.
"Parents snigger when you say your daughter is allergic to the cold, until you explain it's actually really serious.
"Summer asks me 'why do I have this? Why am I different from all my friends?' and gets quite upset.
"People stare at her when her allergies are up because her rash comes out so much."
With her bills set to go from £6 per day to £12 per day, Nikki is trying to figure out alternatives for her daughter.
"What am I supposed to tell her when she says she is cold? All I can do is give her a coat and hot water bottle, but it might not be enough. It's just really, really worrying."
Nikki and her partner James claim they can't afford for their bills to get any higher, and are already relying on food banks to keep their four children fed.
"I already suffer with anxiety but knowing winter is coming makes me feel more anxious than ever," said the nervous mum.
"How will I keep her warm? What am I supposed to tell her when she says she is cold?
"We've always managed but now the prices are getting sky-high and we just don't have the money to pay for it. I feel very helpless."
Ali Condon