Halloween Update

I wish I has some more interesting news, but I guess that no news is good news!!! May have been a blessing in disguise, but my peanut-allergic daughter had H1N1 and pneumonia over Halloween, so she wasn't able to participate in all the festivites, so it created an easier environment than in the past with the whole food allergy situation with the candy. I feel like all parents of kids with food allergies who make it through each holiday should get a notch on their belt or something!!!

Now my focus is on organizing a food allergy support group in my area, as well as do training sessions in local schools and businesses. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers...this economy is taking its toll on all new businesses, not just mine, but here's hoping that people will see how important it is to educate others about food allergies.

Please Mr. Restaurateur, Don't Kill My Kid - Foodie File

Please Mr. Restaurateur, Don't Kill My Kid - Foodie File

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Back to School!!!

Well, the kids just finished day 3 of school for this new school year. I sent Katie in with a fresh Epi-pen 2 pack and Benadryl for the school nurse, and an Epi-pen and Benadryl for her backpack (mostly in case something happens on the bus ride to or from school). I am extremely fortunate to live in a small school district with:

• Peanut free and Tree-Nut free cafeteria
• Peanut/Tree Nut free tables in the cafeteria (kids can bring their own pb&j from home)
• Full time nurse
• Epi-pen training for teachers and staff
• Peanut-Free classrooms

Katie has been attending this school for 4 years-this is her 5th year-and has bought hot lunch for almost every day, and has NEVER had a reaction in school. Our school has an automated phone call system for the parents and on the day before school started, the principal "called" and reminded everyone about the food allergy policies at the school. The individual teachers send home a letter to all parents if there is a child with a food allergy in the classroom. There is a no-food policy for birthdays-the school celebrates each month in the cafeteria and all the birthday kids for the month get to sit on the stage and get a peanut-free nut-free ice cream cup.

I really hate to brag about stuff, but I really love the policies set in place by our elementary school and feel completely safe sending Katie there every day.

Katie is Back!!!

This is Katie-my 9 1/2 year old with a severe Peanut Allergy. She (and mom!) survived a week of summer camp!!!! I was nervous sending her overnight for a week, but the staff was wonderful!!! Katie had a great time, enjoyed all the activities, ate the food, made new friends, and didn't have a single allergic reaction!!! I am definitely pleased with how everyone made sure that Katie had a safe week and made her feel like a "normal" kid. Planning on sending her back there next year!!!

THANK YOU

I know that this is late in coming, but I wanted to send a big "THANK YOU" to all of those who helped out with the first annual food allergy fun fair back in June. I had a great response for donations of products to put on display and hope that this has helped increase traffic to your site!!!

I am continuing to work on contacting community groups to participate in local events and if anyone is still interested in making donations of merchandise, flyers, coupons, etc, feel free to contact me and we can make arrangements.

Thank you again and if you have any suggestions, please let me know!!!

Food Allergy Fun Fair

OK...Most of the stuff is set up for the first ever (and hopefully annual) Food Allergy Fun Fair!!! I have tons of handouts and display items, games and coloring stuff for the kids, support group and mailing list signups, a raffle of a kids pink guitar or electronic drum pad, and a kids' concert by a local musician, Terry A La Berry!!! I am nervous, but hope it at least lets people know that I am here and ready to help!!!

The American Academy Of Environmental Medicine Calls For Immediate Moratorium On Genetically Modified Foods

The American Academy Of Environmental Medicine Calls For Immediate Moratorium On Genetically Modified Foods

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Volunteers Needed!!!

I am looking for volunteers to help out during the first ever Food Allergy Fun Fair!!!

Some choices are:

• Monitor the tables where items will be on display and handouts will be available to people attending.
• Read stories to the children.
• Supervise table with coloring sheets and crayons.
• Lead a few games with the kids.

Still in need of financial donations as well as donations of paper/plastic bags.

Food Allergy Fun Fair Update!!!

The first annual Food Allergy Fun Fair will take place on Saturday, June 13th at 11AM. We will be having lots of information about food allergies, displays of products available, sign up sheet for a local support group, and music by local children's musician Terry A La Berry!!!

I am extending an invitation to ANYONE who sells products related to food allergies: if you would like to send me brocures, samples, etc. to put on display, please contact me and I will put them on display for you. If you would like to come to Massachusetts and set up a table of your own, you can do that too!!!

Please feel free to post this event on your website or blog!!!

What If's

Today I sent Katie off with her dad for a week. We have been divorced for 6 years and he lives about 3 hours away. Even though we have been through this dozens of times, I still get nervous. What if she has a reaction and I can't be with her? What if he forgets to read a label? What if he takes her somewhere and forgets the Epi-pen?

I have to put my trust in God that He will take care of her. I know I may offend some by professing my faith, but if I didn't trust that God will protect Katie, I would be a nervous wreck for the next week!!!

On a sidenote, I am still looking for people to form a support group in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.

I would love to hear from you!!!

Angel Service Dogs

Angel Service Dogs is an organization that raises and trains dogs to detect a certain allergen in any form (i.e. oil, raw, cooked, airborne). I have not had any personal experience with these dogs, but I think that it is a wonderful idea and I can't wait to see how this area of service dogs grows!!! Has anyone had any personal experiences with service dogs for food allergies? I would love to hear from you!!!

For those of you not familiar with this organization, you can find them at http://www.angelservicedogs.com/ or visit them at the Thrive Allergy Expo in Chicago on April 18th and 19th.

New Food Allergy Research!!!

Check out this article about the new research the EPA and Mount Sinai are doing!

http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/e4e6fe296efb8cb2852575980063775f?OpenDocument

New iPhone application

New iPhone application for those who have food allergies and travel to other countries! Read the full article at the LA Times at http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/index.php/new-iphone-applicati-4352/.

Have a safe day!!!

Food Allergy Fun Fair!!!

I know that it seems far away, but on June 13th I will be hosting a Food Allergy Fun Fair at the United Methodist Church of Lenox, 6 Holmes Road, Lenox, MA, 01240 on June 13th @11AM.

Please come and meet me, find out some information, and visit with others!!! Terry "A La Berry" and his band will be perfoming children's music!!! Donations of time, money, and items needed!!! Please contact me at foodallergyedu@yahoo.com or stop by my website and contact me!!!

One other thing...please commnent and let me know what YOU would like to see at this event, on this blog, and on my website. I am still new at all this and would love your input!!!

Thanks!!!

FREE!!!

Special deal for all businesses, restaurants, community groups, schools, etc. I am offering a FREE 1/2 hour consultation to discuss what options I have available to help promote food allergy awareness and education in your workplace. Visit my website at http://www.berkshirefacs.org and fill out the "Contact Us" section and mention code "MC02" in the "Comments" field.

Let's work together to increase public knowledge and acceptance of food allergies!!!

Food Allergy Education

OK...let me tell you a bit about what I do as well as plan to do. My vision is to go into schools, day cares, and restaurants and provide training workshops to principals, teachers, teaching assistants, cafeteria staff, bus drivers, managers, waitstaff, etc. I am also interested in providing support to parents and families, and participate in community events to raise awareness of food allergies in Berkshire County, MA.

Last year I received a grant through Early Intervention which enabled me to purchase all the training programs produced by the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. I have also received training materials from Epi-Pen & Twinject, as well as developed my own training materials and program.

I am also in putting together a support group in the Lenox, MA area. If anyone is interested, please leave a comment here. I will be in touch with you when I have at least 5 interested people.

My hope is that with the increase of food allergy awareness and education, those with food allergies will be accepted in society and reasonable accomodations will be made for those with life-threatening food allergies, just like those with other life-threatening conditions.

Support Groups

I have not been involved with a support group because the closest one is over 2 hours away. Do you belong to a support group? How far do you travel? How often do you meet? I am asking these questions because I am interested in starting a support group in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. If anyone is interested in helping out or joining a support group, please let me know. Have you had a wonderful (or horrible) experience with a support group? Please feel free to share your opinions. As I have said before, we are all in this together, and we need to support and encourage each other in this adventure.

Bread

Ok. For those of you who don't have food allergies, this may seem like a strange post. When we went out to eat tonight, I inquired about the food. Because Katie has a severe Peanut Allergy, I ask about ingredients, how they cook stuff, etc. I told them what she wanted to order and asked if there was any Peanut Oil or cross contamination issues that we should worry about. There was a question about the rolls. She said that the rolls come in a big box and they don't keep the box-they just throw it out.

Now, my feelings. In this day and age, when food allergies are in the news, why don't they hang on to the labels at least for customers that have questions about the ingredients?

Our family's motto is "If you can't read it, we don't eat it". In case you are wondering, we opted to not even bring the rolls to the table.

Welcome!

Hi! Welcome to my Blog!!! I hope that this will be a spot for parents of children with food allergies to come to share advice, to ask questions, and to support others. I also hope that this will be a place that teachers, other parents, restaurant managers, day care providers, grandparents, bus drivers, ANYBODY who has questions or want more information about food allergies can come to.

As an introduction, let me tell you a bit about myself. I have lived with food allergies as long as I can remember, however wasn't officially diagnosed until I was almost 30 years old, when I had an anaphylatic reaction to Tree Nuts. My daughter had her first anaphylatic reaction when whe was almost 18 months old. Her dad had given her a handful of Cheerios and she immediately had trouble breathing, broke out in hives, and her eyes swelled shut. I gave her a double-dose of Benadryl and rushed her to the doctor's office, where he thought she was having an allergic reaction. I thought about this for a moment and remembered that her dad had eaten peanut butter earlier in the morning, and the residual oils on his hand must have transferred the oils to the cereal she was eating. Allergy testing confirmed a Peanut Allergy.

My son Christopher's Soy Allergy was a different story. He seemed to have a stuffy nose from the day he was born, and had severe eczema. He had repeated staph infections of the skin, along with stomachaches. Allergy testing revealed a Soy allergy, along with pollens, dust, mold, cats, dogs, & feathers. Fortunately, his skin improved and he outgrew his Soy allergy, but the environmental allergies remain.

I encourage you to share your stories, ask questions, and post information and links of interest to others. Above all, let's do this to support one another in this world surrounded by allergens.