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My husband and I took our eight-year-old son on a vacation at the end of last summer. We headed north to visit friends living in Fort Mill, SC. We told our son about Carowinds , a theme park a short distance from our friends’ home, during our six hour drive. He was so excited to go on his first roller-coaster, we struggled to get him to sleep as we settled into the guest room of our friends’ house.

The next day started early, too early according to our hosts who were politely amused by my son waking them up at 6am by jumping on their bed. Three hours later all of us were standing at a ticket counter waiting to pay for our entry into Carowinds. After accepting that we adults would have to postpone retiring to afford the cost of experiencing all the park had to offer, we assumed our places in line at the entrance.

Carowinds opened exactly at ten o’clock and we were among the first inside the park. My son scoffed at the suggestion that he try some of the kiddie rides before tackling the ones designed for more experienced, more mature thrill-seekers. He adamantly insisted that Afterburn, a ride celebrated for its speed and vertical loop, would be the first roller-coaster he’d ride in his life.

I laughed to hide my concern for my son’s well-being as he and my husband approached the line of people waiting to ride Afterburn. When they were out of sight, my friends and I found a bench under one of Afterburn’s tracks. We prepared to try to snap a picture of my family members as they passed overhead.

As I was taking the cover off of my camera’s lens, I felt a pain in my right calf. I instinctively swatted at my leg and felt a bump under my jeans. I shook my leg and the remnants of a bee fell to the ground. I was thirty-five and had been stung by a bee for the first time in my life much to the amusement of my friends.

After my husband and son had ridden Afterburn three times, we decided to have some lunch. I could barely stop scratching long enough to enjoy my hot dog. My husband commented that my lips looked like they’d been injected with Botox causing our friends to laugh uncontrollably. My son expressed his concern that I hadn’t applied enough sunscreen because my face was red.

Carowinds Carolina Cyclone was the ride my son had to ride after lunch. Rising from the lunch table to head to what would invariably become my son’s newest favorite ride, I became light-headed. I sunk back onto my seat and found it difficult to catch my breath. Seeing what was happening, my husband yelled for help.

I refused help from the amusement park’s security staff. Begrudgingly, my husband agreed to leave our son with our friends and take me to nearby Presbyterian Hospital.

Upon arrival, I was immediately taken into a room for an examination. The doctor asked if I was allergic to anything. I responded with a “no” and then remembered being stung by a bee earlier in the day. When I mentioned the occurrence to the doctor, he sprang into action realizing I was having a severe allergic reaction to the insect’s venom. The doctor saved my life by giving me a shot of epinephrine.

I now travel even short distances with an Epi-Pen in case I am stung and experience anaphylaxis again. I never knew I was allergic to bees. My son will always remember Carowinds for his first roller-coaster rides. I will always remember the park for making me aware of an allergy that could have killed me.