The other day, I posted the letter that writer Karen Alpert wrote to all the parents out there who complain about not being able to send peanut products in kids' lunches. I have to tell you, some responses really surprised me. People get really mad when they're inconvenienced, apparently. So I thought I'd open up the conversation to the world, so we can all hash this whole allergy thing out right here. Both sides.
Well, Internet. I think this is the best thing I've read in, oh, ever. Karen Alpert, the witty writer behind the Baby Sideburns blog, has penned this spectacular letter that I would like to just print and distribute or maybe copy/paste (with credit, of course) everywhere.
I know, we've talked this topic to death around here, haven't we? And I know you're as sick of it as I am, and I'm a parent of an anaphylactic kid. We got the letter, too. The one that says we can't send any dairy, eggs, or nuts to school in lunches. And as I read it, I looked through my cupboards and fridge at the cheese and cracker snacks, the yogurt, the egg salad ready for tomorrow's sandwich, the cheese strings and granola bars and wondered what the heck I was supposed to pack instead.
Hamilton, Ontario could become the first city to require restaurants to have auto-injectors at the ready for emergency purposes. For severe allergy sufferers, anaphylaxis poses a life-threatening risk that can often be prevented with the use of epineprhine auto-injectors like EpiPens. There's no guarantee that an EpiPen will stop a reaction, but it's the first line of defense when contact with an allergen has happened, much like automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for heart attack victims.
I saw this circulating the interwebs today, and although it's more than a year old, I wanted to share it with readers here. I can't tell you how much those who suffer from severe allergies, and those who parents kids who suffer, appreciate the rest of the world understanding even just a little about our struggles. It means the world that a parent who doesn't have to manage these challenges wrote this, and if I could hug her, I would. And I'm not a hugger, so that's saying a lot.
Not only do stories like the following break my heart, they absolutely terrify me. I spend a lot of time speaking with parents of kids with and without severe allergies, trying to bridge the gap of education between us. Parents who don't have an allergic child often really can't seem to comprehend that death is a real threat to some people. People feel we're inconveniencing them because our kids are the reason lunches are a challenge to pack; they think we're overprotective because we've got that allergy paranoia.
Did you know that as many as 1.2 million Canadians may be affected by allergies? And many of those reactions are severe, life-threatening ones. Ractions can range from mild skin irritations to anaphylaxis and even death; food allergies are nothing to mess with. If an anaphylactic child is exposed to an allergen, death is a real risk.
Blue Bear Aware is a Canadian retailer of allergy accessories. From auto-injector carriers to t-shirts, and everything in between, owner Heather McGrath aims to support other parents who, like her, have children with life-threatening allergies.
Allergy accessories are the perfect way for kids to inform the world of their restrictions, and also start taking on some responsibilty of their own, by carrying their own autoinjectors. The selection at Blue Bear Aware is fantastic, and the products are cool, too.
An article on HealthlineNews today announced that researchers at Johns Hopkins may have narrowed down the root cause of all environmental and food allergies. I don't usually get excited over scientific news, but this gave me goosebumps!
With allergies, there's often very little time to communicate the risks of exposure, so making others aware of a child's allergies is key! Thankfully, there are tons of really great products on the market to help do just that. I've made a list of my son's favourite options for allergy accessories.
Why not add a little fashion statement to your allergy alerts?
Last year I read a story about a child who had been bullied because of his allergies and I felt angry. I mean, kids can be thoughtless, even cruel, but to threaten a peanut-allergic child with peanuts? Really? What kind of monster would do that kind of thing? Turns out, plenty of people.
I have a secret: I am majorly freaking out about my son heading off to junior kindergarten this September. He will be one of the very youngest in his class, not turning four until December, and he also has severe allergies. As if it wasn't hard enough sending our little ones off to school! The summer countdown feels that much more ominous this year because of the anxiety I'm feeling about sending my allergic child to school.
Five years ago, an Indiana woman took her sons to a WWE event and died at the show. According to The Daily Mail, the pyrotechnics during the performance caused Susan Prim to have a fatal asthma attack. Prim was a known asthmatic, and details are scarce in the case, but now her family is suing multiple parties they consider liable for her death, because they feel the show was not safe enough.
Hi, I’m Alexandria, but you can call me Alex. Some of you may know me as @Clippo, or maybe you’ve read my non-blog over at I Don’t Blog. Or maybe you don’t me at all, so that’s why I’m telling you a little bit about myself and why I’m so excited to be writing this allergy blog at YMC.
