“Like” for a life: Support the 2012 San Jose FAAN Walk 5k
Two quick updates about the 2012 San Jose FAAN 5K Walk for Food Allergy Awareness extravaganza! 1) Save the date and join us at the 5K walk on October 13, 2012 at Lake Cunningham Park in San Jose. Last year our little team of six runners raised $1200. This year, we are going to aim even [...]
Facing my reality at the allergist office(s)
For the better part of two decades, I have avoided seeing the inside of an allergist office. By choice. Of course, I don’t recommend this now if you have a known life-threatening food allergy like me, but then I was in denial. Maybe it was my “I am independent” backlash from seeing the inside [...]
Managing through the Valentine’s Day candy frenzy
I’ll be honest; I never really thought about the impact around all of the candy during the holidays until I became a parent and even more so when we found out about Matthew’s allergies. We successfully made it through the Christmas holiday without a reaction or use of an EpiPen. We all celebrated. However, not [...]
My Allergies and Me: A new customizable video to educate those around us
Announcing new way to educate other adults that care for your child about food allergies.
Food Allergies Through the Eyes of a Parent
The words resonated loud and clear as I listened to a quadriplegic motivational speaker say “I’d rather be a quadriplegic than a parent of one.” I feel lost. I don’t understand. I feel helpless at times. I’m not living the life of a food allergic child. How can I relate and help my child? These [...]
Food allergy denial and the illusion of control
One day near the end of my 38th year, I faced my own mortality. It wasn’t a major event or a dramatic near-death experience. It was simply reading a story of the tragic passing of 13 year old Emily Vonder Meulen. For several months now I have been rationalizing my recent major allergic reactions to [...]
Refrigerator broke…we failed the challenge
I look down…water on the floor? I rationalize and think that the kids must have spilled water from the water dispenser. Oh no, that would have been too easy! As I investigate further the water is everywhere in the frig. Great…the frig just broke. The thought of losing all of the food rang ‘wasted money’ [...]
To Epi-Pen or Not to Epi-Pen? That was the difficult question.
My Confession: Sometimes when I have an allergic reaction, I rationalize not using my Epi-Pen.
My rationalization takes a bit of explanation. Within two or three minutes after the start of any allergic reaction to tree nuts, I instinctively answer two questions.
Question 1: Did I just eat a tree nut? I then immediately seek evidence of the texture or the sensation that initiated the question — either by spiting out everything in my mouth to look for it, examining any remaining food, reviewing overlooked ingredients on a label, asking a waiter about the ingredients or possibly of cross-contamination. If the answer is Yes the next question can a little bit harder to answer.
How did I ever survive childhood without a 504 plan?
Because of these mixed feelings it is hard for me to fully support 504 plans; but then I am not an allergy mom. I can only imagine the anxiety of trusting adults that I don’t know to keep my child safe. I am an allergy sufferer…or survivor according to my sister-in-law Kelly. Yet I have no idea how I did in fact survive my childhood, school and birthday parties and sleep overs. There were little to no accommodations made for me at school. My babysitters did not get special training about food preparation. So I am really puzzled, how did I ever survive?
To my surprise allergic reaction at lunch: You Suck
After my three plus decades of doing a decent job of avoiding tree nuts, I really get annoyed when they sneak their way into my food. I mean, the nerve!
