WHAT THEY WERE THINKING

I don't shop without my respirator on. I've got extreme hypersensitivity to everyday chemicals—fragrance, perfume, shampoo, candles, cleaning products. It's hard to do anything. Living with multiple chemical sensitivity has changed the way I see freedom. Before, I thought I could travel the world and do anything; now, I know there are few places I can be around man-made substances and not get sick. I've had people stop being friends with me because they chose to maintain a relationship with a product over a personal relationship with me. But there are nice people who truly care about me and my health. My boyfriend and I drove to get sushi this weekend. I assumed there were fragranced Syracuse students in the restaurant, so my boyfriend—my fragrance-free boyfriend—went in, got takeout, and we ate it at my fragrance-free, chemical-free house."