If given the chance, I can talk about allergies for hours on end. I enjoy listening to people discuss their experiences with them, and I pride myself on keeping up-to-date on the latest news and research in the allergy world. Many say it's clear that I have a passion for discussing allergies, and I guess that's true. And I am willing to bet it's pretty annoying for a lot of people, too.
When I applied for this job as the allergy blogger for YMC, I really didn't realize just how incredibly supportive and welcoming the allergy community is, and how much of an impact my blog would have on people. I also didn't really understand just how big a commitment this would be, both time-wise and emotionally. Recently, I considered leaving this blog behind. It's an awful lot of work researching topics to post, and keeping it all fresh. I mean, how many people really want to read about allergies all the time? Only weirdos like me.
It's also hard on my heart to read some of the news stories about allergies—the deaths related to anaphylaxis give me no end of anxiety, and being fully immersed in this may not really be helpful as the parent of a kid with a life-threatening allergy. I fear for my son's life every single day, and these news stories sure don't help. But when I considered my reasons for doing this, I decided the work and worry is so worth it to be writing this blog and cultivating understanding and empathy. It's an honour to be able to share this info with you, and I'm thankful for every single one of you reading, commenting, and emailing me!
My goal when I started (and now) is to spread allergy awareness. I want to be the logical, reasonable, educated parental voice of experience. I want to help others who don't directly deal with these issues every day understand why they're so important. It's important to me to be able to share my experiences and knowledge with others, and to help pave the way for allergic people who will follow me.
And so, I am very appreciative of any platform that gives me an audience who will listen.
Most recently, I joined Eric Drozd of Kitchener's 570News' Midday Show to discuss the absurdity of the "hypoallergenic" peanut, and other issues surrounding allergies. It was a great conversation to have, and I really loved the comments of their listeners after my segment was over. You can listen to the conversation HERE. I want to send a big thank you out to the 570News team for having me on, and extending the allergy conversation.
The more we discuss allergies, the more everyone will understand them, and awareness is the goal! With awareness comes empathy, with empathy comes action.
Let's keep the conversation rolling, my friends.
Want to know more about how stressful it is to deal with food allergies? Here's what a typical restaurant visit is like. And forget easy travelling! Travel is stressful, too.
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