PHILADELPHIA (WFMZ/CNN) - A Pennsylvania teen is being homeschooled because of severe allergies and he and his mother claim a popular body spray is to blame.
March 4 was a scary day for Brandon Silk as he walked the halls of Freedom High School in Bethlehem, PA.
"I started feeling like my throat close up and then hives breaking out on my arm," he said.
Brandon said it started after breathing in Axe deodorant body spray that someone was wearing.
Doctors have been treating his allergy to the spray since 2011. But according to the school nurse, he almost died after his most recent attack.
"She checked it and she said my throat was so swollen you couldn't even fit a straw down my throat," Brandon said.
"It's definitely something in the AXE spray that's causing or triggering whatever is going on in his body," his mother. Rosa Silk said.
The nurse used an Epi-Pen on Brandon and then he was transported to the hospital. It was his third trip in nine days.
Silk has written letters to Unilever, the parent company, asking for the formula to help doctors find out what is causing the allergy. Their response wasn't what they were expecting.
"There's nothing that we can do. You're kind of on your own," she said.
Currently, Brandon is on several types of steroids, and his mother is still looking for answers.
Silk said she is determined to help her son, even if at times it's frustrating.
"It just breaks my heart to have a company out there who does not care," she said.
To avoid exposure, Brandon is now taking classes at home.
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