13-year-old Esabella Rosselli was first diagnosed at six months old with anaphylaxis—a life-threatening allergic reaction to substances like food—but while she vaguely recalls her cheeks getting red, itchy and swollen as a small child, her family noticed other worrying signs.
“My grandma watched me a lot,” Esabella says, “and she saw that every time I had real milk, I’d start feeling sick and throw up.”
Then came her first anaphylactic episode at age seven, after eating pasta from a restaurant: although Esabella’s dad had called ahead to ensure her meal was gluten- and dairy-free, it had been cooked with wheat pasta, egg and butter.
“I took one bite, and immediately, my throat started swelling,” she says. “It felt like it was closing up, and all I could do was say I needed help.”
CHOC’s compassionate care intervenes
Esabella used her inhaler and received an injection from her EpiPen® to open her airways and offset other symptoms, but her face had swollen so much she could barely see. Her dad and grandfather rushed her to CHOC, and once they arrived at our Julia and George Argyros Emergency Department (ED), Esabella was stabilized by skilled hands and friendly faces.
“One of the nurses was especially kind,” says Erin, Esabella’s mother. “He told her, ‘Your dad saved your life.’ By being with her and continuing to be there with her, it meant a lot.”
At CHOC, Esabella loved that she had games to play and activities to engage in—provided through our philanthropy-dependent Cherese Mari Laulhere Child Life Department—because they distracted her and made her visit feel more normal.
However, after she came home, emotional trauma emerged after a second allergic reaction from gluten caused a skin rash. Esabella’s allergist recognized she was experiencing acute post-traumatic stress disorder and urged the family to seek further treatment for her symptoms that went deeper than the physical.
“I’ve had a lot of anxiety from it,” Esabella explains. “I feel like that second reaction affected me the most because I thought I had an allergic reaction, but I was too scared to say so. After that, my mind started to tell me that I was having a reaction, and my throat would suddenly feel like it was closing. I just get amped up, and my anxiety takes control. That’s the hardest part. But the positive part is that CHOC care is personalized to you.”
From psychology assessments in CHOC’s ED and primary care network to our entire health system, mental health care is woven into the treatment plan of every patient, including Esabella. CHOC helped her understand and address the trauma that arose from her diagnosis, and her family focused on making her feel empowered—validating her emotions while helping her find her own voice and take ownership of her health.
Meanwhile, extensive food testing revealed that Esabella was anaphylactic toward dairy, beef, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts, as well as highly allergic to gluten. Over time, her family started keeping gluten-free foods at home, sticking to Disney vacations because of the resort’s allergy-friendly accommodations, avoiding restaurants with open kitchens where airborne beef products can trigger allergic reactions, and bringing her own food to social functions.
These changes brought challenges to the family at first, but they’ve grown to adapt because of CHOC and the philanthropy that drives our care.
“CHOC is a safe place,” says Esabella, “and I know there’s a good chance I’m going to be okay.”
Through the help of CHOC’s ED, child life and mental health services, Esabella soon found the bravery and inspiration to give hope to patients just like her.
A grateful patient becomes a changemaker
During Esabella’s treatment journey, her grandfather suggested helping in some way, and Esabella grew determined to support the mental health of other allergy patients. With her helpful nudging, her grandfather made a gift in support of mental health services at CHOC’s allergy clinic—with the goal of funding a psychologist for the clinic to help its patients who experience trauma from anaphylaxis.
After Esabella’s third visit to CHOC, she was inspired to launch a GoFundMe to build allergy packs for patients, and Erin used her Cricut craft machine and heat press to create bags for the packs emblazoned with a bold statement: “I can do hard things.” Esabella created customized friendship bracelets that are included in the allergy packs, gifted to GoFundMe donors or sold with proceeds donated to CHOC.
These brave steps of gratitude are a big part of Esabella’s vibrant life. She plays softball and is the loving owner of an adorable yorkie poo, a poodle-Yorkshire terrier mix. And her first concert—seeing Taylor Swift at SoFi Stadium in 2022 with her mom, grandmother and aunt—has made her a lifelong Swiftie.
The care Esabella and her family have received at CHOC has brought freedom and peace; today, she helps drive the generosity that brings hope to patients like her.
“I’m excited to help other people, really,” she says with quiet confidence.
Join Us in Transforming Lives
Like the Rossellis, many families face far more than a life-threatening diagnosis. Your generosity can be the driving force behind CHOC’s efforts to care for patients, parents and siblings from the hospital to their home—where childhood joy and memories can continue.
