Food Allergies: Good Info For All, Even Ones That Don't Get It

[ilovetivo]

ETA: There's several good posts below.

I think all parents of food allergic kids should know about Sabrina and Sara. Rest in peace Sabrina. Your amazing mom is watching out for kids like you.

When Sabrina Shannon was ten, she made a documentary for the CBC radio about her life with serious allergies http://www.cbc.ca/outfront/webfeatur...sab_shell.html

September 2003, 2 1/2 yrs later in 8th grade, Sabrina died from food induced anaphylaxis after eating french fries in her school cafeteria. Her mom Sara, believed the tongs that were used to serve the french fries, had traces of dairy on them. Sara promised Sabrina that she'd do all she could to to keep this from happening to other families.

Sara has worked hard to get "Sabrina's Law" passed in Canada protect food allergic students in school. Sabrina’s aunt, Kathleen Whelen, writes: “Like many kids with serious allergies, Sabrina was educated and she was careful. But she couldn’t live in a bubble. She had a right to engage with the world, and live a vibrant life. She did her part to protect herself, but it wasn’t enough. The rest is up to us."

If you don't want to listen to the radio broadcast here's a good summary from www.allergymoms.com. http://www.allergymoms.com/uploads/n....html#article2

ETA: to paraphrase and provide links. ETA: better phrasing ETA: Title change.

[ilovetivo]

A post from from kidswithfoodallergies.com that might help convince your those that don't want to deal with other people's food allergies. ETA: I have permission from the author to reprint this here.

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Copyright 2006, Amy Hugon, all rights reserved. www.kidswithfoodallergies.org.

Each year, in the United States there are approximately 30,000 anaphylactic episodes, involving about 2,000 hospitalizations and 150-200 deaths due to anaphylactic shock. http://www.foodallergy.org/anaphylaxis.html Eighty percent of those fatalities are the result of peanut or tree nut reactions. Ninety percent of those fatalities did not have the necessary rescue medication, Epi-Pen ® or injectable epinephrine, available at the time.
The next few pages include some frightening stories about anaphylaxis. If you are already sufficiently scared, you may choose to wait before reading them. However, don’t forget they are here. Reading about another parent’s loss won’t bring back their child, but may help save yours if it motivates your spouse, your parents, or other caregivers to take anaphylactic allergies with the seriousness they deserve. Parents with an anaphylactically allergic child know they are taking sufficient precautions when they are the most neurotic parents in their circle. Protecting these children is about prevention of exposure, and immediate access to emergency medication at all times.

We honor the children who have died from anaphylaxis by protecting our children to the very best of our ability.

Kristine Kastner, 12, 1998, Washington State, peanuts. Her death led her mother to advocate for – and achieve - legislation improving epinephrine access via EMS in the state.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/healt...icine_6-8.html

Nathan Walters, 9, May 2001, Spokane Washington, unlabeled peanut butter cookie in school-provided field trip lunch.
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-...03&ID=s1354896

Umar Murtaza, 12, Los Angeles, pecans. http://www.cspinet.org/nah/04_01/

Joe Murphy, 18, pistachios. http://www.cspinet.org/nah/04_01/

Joshua Ramirez,21, unlabeled peanut contamination in a previously safe brand of cookies from his college vending machine. http://www.foodallergyinitiative.org...&middle_link=1

Prasad Gajare, 9, August 2004, California, accidentally drank his sister’s cup of cow’s milk rather than his own cup of soy milk. Although his family administered his Epi-Pen®, emergency technicians were unable to maintain an airway.

Alex Baptist, 4, September 2004, Australia. Died at his nut-free school. http://www.theage.com.au/news/allerg...235973324.html, http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/...ticle_1868.asp

Johnny Whitburn, 16, Australia, peanut in take-out rice.
Kareen Healey, 15, Australia, peanut.
Richelle Townsend, Australia, mother out for dinner with her husband. They knew of her peanut allergy, but routinely ate at an Asian restaurant that assured them there were peanut-free dishes. She reacted to something. Years later, she is still wheelchair-bound, tube-fed, and brain-damaged. http://www.allergyfacts.org.au/media/SundayShow.html (link for above 3 Australian cases)

Keith Allison, 32, New Jersey, March 15, 2003, shrimp, from accidental cross-contamination of his restaurant meal.

Robyn Allen, 15, Canada, re-used a knife which had been used for peanut butter and wiped *clean*. Robyn’s mother, Marilyn Allen utilized her grief to found the Anaphylaxis Network of Canada, which is dedicated to enabling its members to live safely with life-threatening allergies. Her story was featured in the magazine Living Without.

Amanda Mills, 19, April 2004, Scotland, peanut. http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=587642005

Phillip Heywood, 19, June 2004.
http://foodhaccp.com/msgboard.mv?par...msgnum=1016456

Sam Pettett, 22, December 2004, UK. Unknown ingredient, no known allergies. http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2005/9/24/203343.html

David Joseph Boutot, 17, March 2005, milk. (link no longer available)

Chantelle Yambao, 13, December 2005, Edmonton, Canada, peanuts. http://www.ifss.iastate.edu/news/fsp...m?NewsID=11462

Matthew Deluce, 23, August 2005, Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, peanut, restaurant meal. (link no longer available)

Patrick Maxeiner, 24, January 2000.
http://listserv.uark.edu/scripts/wa....rgy&D=0&P=1907

Thomas Egan, 5 months, April 2002, UK, milk at daycare. http://www.leighday.co.uk/doc.asp?cat=995&doc=536

Hamidur Rahman, 13, March 2002, Sydney, Australia, peanut, fed a spoonful of peanut butter at school camp despite known allergy. http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/...ticle_1868.asp,

Megan Morris, 12, New Jersey, tree nuts, at school. (link no longer available)

Adult woman, New York, cross-contamination at wedding. Spatula re-used (after touching peanut) to lift peanut-free cookies.
http://www.health24.co.za/dietnfood/...-740,12443.asp

Jane McVeigh, 17, Belfast Ireland, December 2006, peanut. (link no longer available)

Sarah Hubert, 13, Massachusetts, milk at cheerleading practice. (link no longer available)

Ross Baillie, 21, 1999, Britain, peanut. (link no longer available)

Trent Hankins, 31, Boston Massachusetts, touching food fried in peanut oil. (http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=256016

Kailey Bowles, 7, milk, in hot chocolate mix they made in Brownies.
http://www.thetimesonline.com/articl...cf0010aeb3.prt

Allison Armstrong, 5th grade, Oregon, peanuts. (link no longer available)

Chris Clements, 17, Wisconsin, nuts.
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/artic...ews/00lead.txt

Gina Marie Hunt, 14, peanut. (link no longer available)

Sabrina Shannon, 13, a Canadian food allergy awareness advocate, milk cross-contamination at school. Her mother advocated for – and achieved – legislation to make Canadian schools safer for allergic children. http://www.cbc.ca/outfront/listen/2003/oct0603.html

A 14 year old girl died on a camping trip when she used a knife which had previously been used to make a peanut butter sandwich, but which had been wiped “clean�. (J. Allergy Clinical Immunology 107: 191, 2001.)

Raya French, 37, mother of 4, England, December 2004, tomatoes (at home, simply opened a jar of spaghetti sauce). http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/4119163.stm

Amy Topic, 34, July 2004, Michigan, peanuts. Her 3 year old son was orphaned. http://foodhaccp.com/msgboard.mv?par...msgnum=1016799

Howard Intrator, 39, July 2000, Alberta, Canada, peanut cross-contamination (re-used knife). http://archives.foodsafetynetwork.ca...7-11-00-01.txt

Habib Khan, 10, February 2004, milk, at school. http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/...name_page.html

Matt Schumach, 29, Florida, peanut. (link no longer available)

Mariya Spektor, 17, December 1998, peanut.
http://archives.foodsafetynetwork.ca...2-03-98-01.txt

William Gallagher, 16, Massachusetts, nuts in home ec at school. (link no longer available)

Umar Murtaza, 12, Los Angeles, pecans.

Kate Obertelli, 21, England, almond and peanut. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/m...er/3152732.stm

These tragic stories are not listed simply to scare you, but to motivate you. Frankly, if you have a child with an anaphylactic allergy and you are not the most neurotic parents in your circle, you are not sufficiently worried.
Many people do not take anaphylactic allergies seriously enough. If those people are your parents or in-laws, your neighbors, or your children’s teachers or day care providers, then you have a huge job ahead of you to educate others and protect your child. It is notable that about half of the food allergy deaths occur in teenagers and young adults, who are generally less willing to be “different� by asking about ingredients or carrying medication. Parents of pre-teens and teenagers need to address this with their children, realizing that they won’t always be there to carry the medication or do the label-reading and worrying for their child. Educating your child about their allergy is a vital part of parenting them
It is absolutely true that most people with food allergies, even those with anaphylactic allergies, live happy and productive lives. These deaths, statistically, are a very small percentage. However, it is important to take proper precautions in order to minimize your child’s risk. Even one preventable death is one too many.

Honor those who have died from food allergy by learning from their tragedy. This list, very unfortunately, is not all-inclusive.


ETA: Copyright

[ilovetivo]

This is a letter from a formerly angry mom without a food allergic child. It was posted on the kidswithfoodallergies.org message boards a year ago. It might be helpful to give angry parents of non-food allergic kids.

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Copyright 2005, Lisa Turner, all rights reserved. www.kidswithfoodallergies.org.

Posted By Lisa T. on kidswithfoodallergies.org:

I wrote this letter about a year ago because of an uproar in our community. I freely give permission for anybody to use this should they need it. If you would like it in word format, email me and I will send it.
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Dear Parents and Guardians:

I am writing this letter to you because your school has decided to implement a ban on peanuts, tree nuts, and/or other foods that have been associated with life-threatening allergies, and I know the initial reaction you may have regarding such a ban.

I am the mother of a little girl who started school this year. About two weeks before school started I read in a local newspaper that the school she will be attending has decided to put such a ban into effect.

My first reaction was one of shock, but it quickly turned into complete ANGER! I couldn’t believe that the school would actually do something that drastic because ONE child had an allergy. Since when did the misfortunes of one dictate the rule for the majority? I rallied support together, I wrote to the newspapers, I called television stations, and I put up posters expressing my outrage and encouraging parents who felt the same way to attend the next school board meeting and “let our voices be heard�. I even drafted up petitions to have the members of the school board removed so that a new school board could be elected, one that looked out for the needs of every child instead of just one. After all, nobody was going to tell me that I couldn’t send my picky eater to school with a peanut butter sandwich! Then I went online to get some ammunition.

What I got however, was something completely different. I got an education. I stumbled across a site for people with life-threatening allergies and the parents of children with life-threatening allergies. The first thing I found out was that, although rare, it is a lot more common than I had realized, but being angry I posted my question, Do they really think that a ban is necessary?. I used all my arguments. If a child is allergic to bees, do you keep all the kids in at recess? If a child is in a wheel chair, do you build a ramp or tear out the stairs? I mean after all, there are other allergies out there, and there is no way to guarantee that the school will be completely free from these foods, so where do you draw the line?

At first I wasn’t open at all to hear their reply, I was just venting, but then I really started reading what they had to say, and it was then that I started learning. You see… I put my daughter on the bus for the first time in her life. I was afraid she wouldn’t find her classroom. I was afraid she would forget to raise her hand before she spoke. I was afraid she would get on the wrong bus coming home, but what I wasn’t afraid of was that I would get a call from the school saying that my daughter wouldn’t be coming home; she is being rushed to the hospital by ambulance because of a common, everyday peanut butter sandwich. It was then that I realized what these parents are going though. Some don’t have the luxury of worrying about little things.

These parents aren’t trying to take anything away from our kids; they are trying to keep their kids safe. I looked back at my initial reaction so I could figure out what had made me so mad, and when I was completely honest with myself, I found the answer. I was mad because I was going to be inconvenienced. I was willing to put a child’s life in danger so my daughter could eat a sandwich, and what did that say about me? I mean, if I saw a dog attacking any child wouldn’t I do whatever I could to protect that child? And if that is the case, why am I so opposed to eliminating peanut butter from 5 meals out of the 21 she will have in the course of a week?

The fact of the matter is you don’t keep all the kids in at recess, but you don’t put a child with a bee sting allergy in a lunchroom full of bees either.

The fact is EVERY child is entitled to a “free and appropriate public education in a least restrictive environment�, translated that means the school has a legal responsibility to provide a safe learning environment for ALL children, and where do you draw the line? You draw the line when the unique needs of the community served by the school have been met.

It’s not easy to put your child in the hands of strangers when you know that many of them may have just eaten, or are bringing to lunch, the same thing that is poison to your child, and many of these parents would home school if they could, but just like you and I, sometimes that is not an option.

The parents of children with life-threatening allergies don’t expect us all to learn this over night, and they don’t expect us to shop for our children as if they had this allergy, and while they know that the school will never be completely free from these foods, one less sandwich, or one less snack containing these foods being brought into the schools, will be one less risk to their child’s life.

I am not saying that it hasn’t been a struggle at times, but you have to ask yourselves… Is convenience really more important than life? In my book, that answer is no, so any small inconvenience I have is worth it.
Sincerely,
Lisa Turner

ETA: Copyright

[Rachels]

That's a wonderful letter.

-Rachel
Mama to Abigail Rose
5/18/02
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbo...ethyst_36m.gif
Nursed for three years!

and Ethan James
10/19/05
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...smilies/bf.jpg

"When you know better, you do better." - Maya

[buddyleebaby]

My dh had an anaphylactic reaction to an unknown food allergen the day after he turned 20. It was incredibly scary.
After watching my dh go through it, I do not want to imagine watching one's child go through it.

[writermama]

Thank you for posting this. As someone with a potentially life-threatening allergy to bee stings, I can only imagine how much more difficult it must be to have an allergy to something as seemingly innocuous as food.

I've bookmarked this thread for future reference.

Here's hoping that new research into food allergy immunotherapy is on to something.

[dules]

My niece had a reaction to peanut butter at age 3 (she had eaten it multiple times before w/o reaction) and the doctors at the ER said that had she not been projectile vomiting, she would have lost her airway and died before the ambulance got to her.

Her sensitivity to peanuts registers off the charts - the allergist and pediatrician had never seen one so high. Now 12 and boy crazy, she is making my sister soooo nervous now having to consider kissing and what the boy has eaten!

Thanks for the letter.


Mary

[mapg]

Thanks for posting all this.

[ShanaMama]

I haven't had the chance to read thru all the links, but thanks for posting this. Unless you have all the links on hand from experience with your DD, this must have taken a lot of research. I know very little about severe food allergies, & found this both fascinating and sad.
Wish I knew how to bookmark a thread...

[elliput]

Bookmarking is very easy. Directly below the Windsor Peak Press banner where is says ORDER ONLINE is an icon that says Bookmark this Topic, click on that and then you can access the topic later from your user menu.