About Us
Kelly, mom of Matthew (5) & Michelle (3)
Kelly and Ken (Heather’s brother) will never forget November 3, 2006. Matthew, their first child almost died when he was only 10 weeks old. Making the call to 911 was not what Kelly expected after giving Matthew just 3 oz of dairy based baby formula. After all, he seemed to like it and in fact drank it like all other babies. Right before her eyes, Matthew’s world and the world she and Ken knew would change. To a mom that had never really heard or yet alone dealt with food allergies, caring for their child became extremely scary and most of all overwhelming. Kelly decided to take charge and fight the fears and live everyday knowing that “Knowledge is Power”. The more she, family and friends became educated the greater her hope for Mathew’s life expectancy. The hours of tracking Matthew’s food consumption, reading labels, calling manufacturing companies, creating a custom cookbook, seeing several specialty doctors and creating a safe environment for Matthew amongst family and friends was the new reality. At times, Kelly felt as though it was her fault but she made the decision to help the many others that cry at night thinking the same thing “Why my child?”
Heather, mom of Jean (12), Diana (8) and Rose (6)
As a child, Heather carried a bee-sting kit — the precursor to Epi-Pens — with her to summer camps and had no really understanding of how dangerous her food allergy was until she was 10. Heather is anaphylactic allergic to tree nuts and that year at a friend’s house, she mistakenly ate cashews (bad), thinking they were peanuts (good), and suffered a severe anaphylatic reaction that swelled her throat and tongue to the point were she had trouble breathing and could not swallow. A trip to the ER and a healthy fear of nuts fully instilled, Heather is the annoying guest that can’t eat Waldorf Salad or enjoy your Pecan Pie. While her daughters share some of her environmental allergies, thankfully none have her asthma or any food allergies. When her nephew Matthew was diagnosed with severe food allergies to milk, soy, egg, beef and more, Heather was incredibly empathetic but initially felt a bit helpless. As Kelly and Ken hunkered down to deal with their new “life after allergies,” Heather realized she could speak on behalf of Matthew and give some insight to them about what it feels like to go through a major reaction.
Sisters by marriage, friends by choice, Heather and Kelly have found that together they can help Matthew and other families with severe food allergies live a life that is safe, simple and survivable.
