Woman ‘Allergic to Running’ Has Severe Reaction After Almost Missing Flight

For the last few years, Divz Mangat has been suffering from a suspicious allergy, but she now thinks she has figured out what she is allergic to—running.

Divz, 27, from Canada, told Newsweek: “For the past few months, every time I run or get stressed out, I’ve been breaking out in hives. I wasn’t sure if it was due to running or stress. But, that day, I realized it 100 percent has to be due to me running and being stressed out.”

Her sister Dee Mangat captured the moment the allergic reaction kicked in just before they got on the plane for their vacation to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. In the video, which has now been viewed over 6.6 million times on TikTok, Divz suffered a reaction during the flight.

Still waiting for an appointment with a specialist, Divz doesn’t have an exact diagnosis yet, but believes she is suffering from exercise-induced anaphylaxis (EIA). This is a rare disorder in which symptoms occur after physical activity. These can include widespread flushing of the skin; breaking out in hives; swelling of the skin and lips; and nausea and vomiting.

In serious cases, there can be a dramatic fall in blood pressure, sometimes known as anaphylactic shock. The sufferer may feel weak and even collapse. They may also have difficulty breathing and swallowing.

For some sufferers, there is a link between both exercise and food or drink consumption. This is known as food-dependent EIA, where eating certain foods combined with exercise can trigger a reaction.

“How she almost died because of a delayed flight,” reads the text overlay, and the short vlog revealed exactly what happened while they were traveling on April 27, 2023.

While running to make the flight, the group of women rushed through the airport. Once they reached the gate, Divz was feeling unwell, breaking out in hives and struggling to breathe.

“I’ve gone to the hospital a few times regarding this. I’m waiting on a specialist and the hospital isn’t really able to provide more information at the moment,” Divz said.

“About three allergic reactions ago, she said, ‘I think I might be allergic to running,'” her sister Dee explained. “I was like, ‘Yeah, OK, sure. I’ve never heard of that.'”

Thanks to multiple previous trips to the hospital for the mysterious allergy, Divz had been given an EpiPen. This is the brand name of an auto-injectable device that delivers the drug epinephrine, most often used for the treatment of anaphylaxis.

When they got on their flight, it became clear that Divz was definitely having a reaction: “I was a bit panicky and saying we needed to tell somebody,” Dee explained. “But she said, ‘No, let’s just wait, try the EpiPen and see if the reaction settles. The last couple of times after the EpiPen, her hives did go down, and then she’s still gone to the hospital to be monitored.”

Divz administered her EpiPen medication, and her sister sat and monitored her as the swelling luckily went down, and her symptoms started to improve.

By the time they landed in the Dominican Republic, the hives were gone, and Divz was feeling much better—and with a newfound understanding of what could be triggering her allergies, she is being more careful than ever.

With her symptoms now clear, the sisters decided not to go to the emergency room when they arrived, something that is usually recommended after using an EpiPen.

“The whole trip the girls were like, ‘Don’t run. Just walk where you have to go,'” said Divz. “I’m very cautious of not making my heart beat really fast. I’m just trying to be very calm and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

In August 2022, 28-year-old Lyndsi Johnson shared how she is “allergic to gravity,” fainting up to 10 times a day and being unable to stand for more than three minutes at a time.

“I just thought this was kind of a crazy phenomenon,” said Dee, who was recording the trip for her vlog. “I’ve never seen somebody that’s allergic to running—it ended up being a pretty eventful video.”

After sharing the video on TikTok, the sisters had lots of responses from viewers who shared their experiences with the rare allergy.

“Exercised induced anaphylaxis is real! You should get tested for it for sure,” wrote one commenter, while another posted: “Exercise induced anaphylaxis is a real thing. Mine doesn’t get that bad but I used to have to carry an EpiPen in case it did.”

“I also struggle with this, and finally after a couple of years I have treatment,” commented another viewer of the video.

“It’s kind of nice because people have been telling me what’s wrong with me,” said Divz. “Doctors have reached out and let me know there are lots of possibilities, and when you read the comments, some people say it took them years to figure out.”

Divz has been thrilled that the video’s reach has helped her narrow down what could be causing her reactions. “Seeing other people having similar things it does help, in a way,” she added.