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HOLLADAY — Dave Henriksen is a father to not one, but three 5-year-olds. That’s right — triplets!
“The first couple years were really hard,” Henriksen said.
But, things are only getting better now that Henriksen can be outside. He loves playing a spring baseball with kids, but several years ago that was almost impossible.
“There were trips I didn’t want to go on and activities I wouldn’t want to do just because of how miserable I would be,” he said.
Henriksen puts it simply, “I happen to be allergic to everything outside including dogs and cats.”
Henriksen got tired of taking ineffective allergy pills. “You’d take one and you’d be like ‘I need to take another one,’” he said.
Henriksen also got tired of walking around with a runny nose. Finally, he decided to look into other options. Four years ago, he met an allergist at Intermountain Healthcare’s Holladay Clinic. Dr. Libby Kelly introduced him to allergy immunotherapy shots.
“They basically inject me with what I’m allergic to, to try to build up my immunity,” Henriksen said.
He now goes in for a monthly shot. Kelly said it’s a commitment because the patient needs to go in for regular shots for three to five years.
“The average person gets 10-12 years of significant relief after their shots,” Kelly said. “Each person’s allergy shots are made exactly to the types of pollens or animals that they’re allergic to.”
Henriksen said it works. “Totally worth it! I would do it again,” he added.
Henriksen said the shots are covered by his insurance and he pays an out-of-pocket fee of $14 a month. Upon starting the shots, he had a blood test which helped Kelly find the right combo of allergens to treat his symptoms.
With three kids on the baseball team, Henriksen has taken on a new title.
“I felt some sort of moral obligation to coach with that many kids on the team,” he said.
With his allergies now under control, Henriksen loves playing ball with his kids.
