About: Heather

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 live a life with food allergies that is safe, simple and survivable.