In my last post, I shared a Top 10 list of reasons why GMO food should be labeled. Bottom line...so that we, the consumer, can make educated decisions on the type of foods we want to purchase to feed our families. I hope you all have had a chance to read through the list. I've been blogging for months now about the hazards of eating GMO foods, and if I haven't been convincing enough, hopefully that last post helped tip the scales in my favor.
It also helps explain why I continue to mix subjects in my blog. I've often wondered if I should have separate blogs. One for healthy eating/living and another for our journey in the peanut clinical trial. However, when I come across the link between the two, for instance:
There’s already plenty of evidence that the Bt-toxin produced in GM corn and cotton plants is toxic to humans and mammals and triggers immune system responses. The fact that it flows through our blood supply, and that is passes through the placenta into fetuses, may help explain the rise in many disorders in the US since Bt crop varieties were first introduced in 1996.
In government-sponsored research in Italy, mice fed Monsanto’s Bt corn showed a wide range of immune responses. Their elevated IgE and IgG antibodies, for example, are typically associated with allergies and infections. The mice had an increase in cytokines, which are associated with “allergic and inflammatory responses.” The specific cytokines (interleukins) that were elevated are also higher in humans who suffer from a wide range of disorders, from arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, to MS and cancer.
Or this:
The young mice in the study also had elevated T cells (gamma delta), which are increased in people with asthma, and in children with food allergies, juvenile arthritis, and connective tissue diseases. The Bt corn that was fed to these mice, MON 810, produced the same Bt-toxin that was found in the blood of women and fetuses.
When rats were fed another of Monsanto’s Bt corn varieties called MON 863, their immune systems were also activated, showing higher numbers of basophils, lymphocytes, and white blood cells. These can indicate possible allergies, infections, toxins, and various disease states including cancer. There were also signs of toxicity in the liver and kidneys.
I think that I'm on the right track in keeping you guys up to date with what's going on in the world of food allergies and how the food we eat might very well be the root cause of those food allergies.
By the way, I took both of those excerpts from this article, Dangerous Toxins from Genetically Modified Plants Found in Women and Fetuses, written by Jeffrey Smith and published on the Institute of Responsible Technology website. There's a lot of good information in the article, and I encourage you to read it in it's entirety. In the meantime, I'll continue to research and report on both.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Top 10 Reasons to Label GMOs
Anybody else totally disturbed by this?
10 scary reasons to label GMOs:
(taken from the Organic Consumers Association, Organic Bytes #279)
#1 Monsanto's Bt-toxin, in its Bt-producing GMO corn and cotton (used in food in the form of cottonseed oil), was found by Canadian doctors in the blood of 93% of pregnant women and 80% of the umbilical blood of their babies.
#2 The authors of the Canadian study conclude that the women and their babies were exposed to Monsanto's GMO Bt-toxin through a "normal" non-organic Canadian diet, including non-organic (so-called "natural" and "conventional") meat, egg, and dairy products from animals fed Bt corn.
#3 Monsanto's GMO "Bt" corn and cotton plants are engineered to produce a insecticide in every cell of the plant that kills insects by breaking open their stomachs.
#4 Mice fed Monsanto's Bt corn had elevated levels of immune system substances that are also higher in humans who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, cancer, allergies, Lou Gehrig's disease, autoimmune disease, and colitis.
#5 Young mice in the same study had elevated T-cells, which are increased in people with asthma, and in children with food allergies, juvenile arthritis, and connective tissue diseases.
#6 Monsanto's GMO Bt-toxin has properties of known allergens - it actually fails the World Health Organization's allergen screening tests.
#7 Monsanto's GMO Bt-toxin has been found to bind with the small intestines in mice and with intestinal tissue in rhesus monkeys.
#8 In addition to its GMO "Bt" crops which are engineered to produce insecticide, Monsanto also produces GMO "RoundUp Ready" crops, engineered with a bacterial DNA that allows it to survive otherwise deadly doses of its herbicide RoundUp.
#9 In the only human feeding study ever published on GMOs, Monsanto's GMO "RoundUp Ready" soybeans were found to transfer Monsanto's "RoundUp Ready" DNA to the bacteria living inside human intestines.
#10 According to Jeffrey Smith of the Institute for Responsible Technology, the transfer of Monsanto's GMO Bt DNA to human digestive bacteria could create a "living pesticide factory" that could be responsible for the "increase in gastrointestinal problems, autoimmune diseases, food allergies, and childhood learning disorders - since 1996 when Bt crops came on the market."
I have a hard time describing what I feel when I read about GMO's. To think of the damage we are doing just by eating the very food that is supposed to sustain us.
More on this later.
10 scary reasons to label GMOs:
(taken from the Organic Consumers Association, Organic Bytes #279)
#1 Monsanto's Bt-toxin, in its Bt-producing GMO corn and cotton (used in food in the form of cottonseed oil), was found by Canadian doctors in the blood of 93% of pregnant women and 80% of the umbilical blood of their babies.
#2 The authors of the Canadian study conclude that the women and their babies were exposed to Monsanto's GMO Bt-toxin through a "normal" non-organic Canadian diet, including non-organic (so-called "natural" and "conventional") meat, egg, and dairy products from animals fed Bt corn.
#3 Monsanto's GMO "Bt" corn and cotton plants are engineered to produce a insecticide in every cell of the plant that kills insects by breaking open their stomachs.
#4 Mice fed Monsanto's Bt corn had elevated levels of immune system substances that are also higher in humans who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, cancer, allergies, Lou Gehrig's disease, autoimmune disease, and colitis.
#5 Young mice in the same study had elevated T-cells, which are increased in people with asthma, and in children with food allergies, juvenile arthritis, and connective tissue diseases.
#6 Monsanto's GMO Bt-toxin has properties of known allergens - it actually fails the World Health Organization's allergen screening tests.
#7 Monsanto's GMO Bt-toxin has been found to bind with the small intestines in mice and with intestinal tissue in rhesus monkeys.
#8 In addition to its GMO "Bt" crops which are engineered to produce insecticide, Monsanto also produces GMO "RoundUp Ready" crops, engineered with a bacterial DNA that allows it to survive otherwise deadly doses of its herbicide RoundUp.
#9 In the only human feeding study ever published on GMOs, Monsanto's GMO "RoundUp Ready" soybeans were found to transfer Monsanto's "RoundUp Ready" DNA to the bacteria living inside human intestines.
#10 According to Jeffrey Smith of the Institute for Responsible Technology, the transfer of Monsanto's GMO Bt DNA to human digestive bacteria could create a "living pesticide factory" that could be responsible for the "increase in gastrointestinal problems, autoimmune diseases, food allergies, and childhood learning disorders - since 1996 when Bt crops came on the market."
I have a hard time describing what I feel when I read about GMO's. To think of the damage we are doing just by eating the very food that is supposed to sustain us.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Peppermint
We can't seem to put Abigail's chronic stomach aches behind us. Last summer I took her to see a pediatric gastroenterologist and through history and blood work, he ruled out a ton of potential culprits, Lupus, Crones, Celiac to name a few. We opted not to do an invasive endoscopy because the blood work didn't indicate a need. We left with a diagnosis of Functional Abdominal Pain and a prescription for Zantac. We had already tried the stronger Prilosec without much benefit, and it was not something I wanted her to continue to take anyway. The Zantac helps with the occasional bought of reflux.
Later in the fall, I took Abigail to see a Mind/Body Therapist who specialized in treating children who have chronic pains. She worked with Abigail for a couple of months teaching her how to use breathing and visualization techniques. That had some benefits and the stomach pain stopped occurring on a daily basis.
I'd like to say that she no longer suffers from stomach aches, but that's not the case. They seemed to wain this last winter, but now she's complaining about them more frequently. She has also been experiencing heartburn/acid reflux more frequently and most of the time Zantac or children's Tums takes care of it. But other times, her stomach just hurts for no apparent reason. I ask, and she'll say that she's not nervous or anxious about anything, although sometimes, I can attribute her stomach pains to a particularly stressful week. By chance though, I did find something that provides some comfort. Peppermint.
Whether it really helps physically I don't know. It could very well just be a mental thing. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center website though, "because it has a calming and numbing effect, it has been used to treat headaches, skin irritations, anxiety associated with depression, nausea, diarrhea, menstrual cramps, and flatulence." The site also reports that a number of studies support the use of peppermint for indigestion and irritable bowel syndrome.
I'm a big tea drinker. I start with hot green tea in the morning, usually have iced black tea in the afternoon, and a lot of evenings drink hot peppermint tea before bed. While I was tea shopping for myself, I came across Just for Kids Organic Tummy Comfort by Traditional Medicinals. It's safe for kids with mild herbs in child appropriate amounts. Abigail doesn't drink it too often, but I like having it available in the pantry. I usually make it and then ice it down.
Seeing how she enjoyed the peppermint tea and was always asking to have one of my Newman's Own Organic Wintergreen mints, I wanted to find a special tin of mints just for her that was pure peppermint. My local health store stocks VerMints. These were a wonderful find. They're nut free, GMO free and gluten free...and they're all hers, making them extra special.
Neither the gastroenterologist, her pediatrician or her doctor at Duke believe that taking the peanut drops is causing Abigail's stomach aches. I just know that she didn't complain of stomach pains until several weeks after starting the peanut clinical trial. I posted about my concern as long ago as March 2010. We won't really know if the two are associated until we've finished the trial. Maybe not even then. She'll still have to continue eating peanuts to maintain her tolerance. Another year though and she should be desensitized. If by chance the two are linked, then these stomach aches should go away sometime between now and next June. If not, I just don't know.
Later in the fall, I took Abigail to see a Mind/Body Therapist who specialized in treating children who have chronic pains. She worked with Abigail for a couple of months teaching her how to use breathing and visualization techniques. That had some benefits and the stomach pain stopped occurring on a daily basis.
I'd like to say that she no longer suffers from stomach aches, but that's not the case. They seemed to wain this last winter, but now she's complaining about them more frequently. She has also been experiencing heartburn/acid reflux more frequently and most of the time Zantac or children's Tums takes care of it. But other times, her stomach just hurts for no apparent reason. I ask, and she'll say that she's not nervous or anxious about anything, although sometimes, I can attribute her stomach pains to a particularly stressful week. By chance though, I did find something that provides some comfort. Peppermint.
Whether it really helps physically I don't know. It could very well just be a mental thing. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center website though, "because it has a calming and numbing effect, it has been used to treat headaches, skin irritations, anxiety associated with depression, nausea, diarrhea, menstrual cramps, and flatulence." The site also reports that a number of studies support the use of peppermint for indigestion and irritable bowel syndrome.
I'm a big tea drinker. I start with hot green tea in the morning, usually have iced black tea in the afternoon, and a lot of evenings drink hot peppermint tea before bed. While I was tea shopping for myself, I came across Just for Kids Organic Tummy Comfort by Traditional Medicinals. It's safe for kids with mild herbs in child appropriate amounts. Abigail doesn't drink it too often, but I like having it available in the pantry. I usually make it and then ice it down.
Neither the gastroenterologist, her pediatrician or her doctor at Duke believe that taking the peanut drops is causing Abigail's stomach aches. I just know that she didn't complain of stomach pains until several weeks after starting the peanut clinical trial. I posted about my concern as long ago as March 2010. We won't really know if the two are associated until we've finished the trial. Maybe not even then. She'll still have to continue eating peanuts to maintain her tolerance. Another year though and she should be desensitized. If by chance the two are linked, then these stomach aches should go away sometime between now and next June. If not, I just don't know.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Allergic Reaction to Peanut-Tainted Blood
There is an article published today on msnbc.com about a boy that had an allergic reaction requiring an injection of adrenaline during a blood transfusion. The doctors looked at all possible scenarios including allergic reactions to drugs and latex. It wasn't until the boy's mom mentioned him having a similar reaction to peanuts when he was an infant that made the doctors start looking at the blood donors. They traced the blood back to five donors and found that three of them had eaten handfuls of peanuts the night before they donated platelets. Apparently, there are no other documented incidences of this happening; however according to this article, there have been other incidents reported of patients developing a peanut allergy after receiving donated blood from a peanut allergic donor.
This has my mind spinning. The majority of the time, blood transfusions are given in life or death situations. Getting a peanut allergy as a result is a small price to pay? Right?? Wrong?? Or, should Abigail and other peanut allergic individuals not do something special and donate blood? But, what about the flip side? How are they protected? In the future, will blood donors need to document that they've eaten peanuts prior to making the donation? According to this article, "the major allergen in peanuts, Ara h2, is extremely resistant to digestion because of a peptide that can show up in blood serum for up to 24 hours after ingestion." In this case, when the boy's blood was tested, the doctors found his levels of peanut-specific antibodies and the peptide were far higher than normal. The scientists studying his case claim that the peanut eating donors transmitted the allergen which triggered his reaction.
I'd love for you to read the article and then let me know your thoughts. As peanut allergies continue to rise and until doctors and scientist have a handle on this epidemic, I'm pretty sure we've not heard the last of this.
I'd love for you to read the article and then let me know your thoughts. As peanut allergies continue to rise and until doctors and scientist have a handle on this epidemic, I'm pretty sure we've not heard the last of this.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Last week was Food Allergy Awareness Week, this week is National Eosinophil Awareness Week. Whether we're parents of food allergic children or have a severe food allergy ourselves, we understand the trials of diligently avoiding offending food(s). What if though, all foods were offending?
I have a very dear friend whose 9 year old son has Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE). He went from a child that could eat everything to a young boy that could eat nothing. Earlier last year, his only food source was a special elemental formula juice box. After numerous endoscopies with biopsies, he has since been able to add foods to his diet. Know what he can eat now? Grapefruit, lite canned peaches, sweet potatoes and pinto beans. The only seasoning allowed is salt and sugar. His only drinks are water and the elemental formula juice boxes.
What is EoE? It's a disease characterized by inflammation of the esophagus with an abnormal number of eosinophils (a type of white blood cell associated with allergies, parasites and cancers). In my friend's son’s case, the elevated levels are caused by food and possibly environmental allergies. Symptoms vary by case. Her son started off with reflux that did not get better with medication and chronic stomach pain. As time went on he had chest pain, throat pain, regurgitation 20-40 times a day and vomiting after eating. He also has had chronic sinus infections since he was an infant and continues to suffer from croup during winter months.
I know what a battle it is to keep Abigail safe from the risks of her peanut allergy. I understand what means my friend goes through to keep her son safe, and I see how incredibly brave her son is as he watches his friends enjoy what used to be his favorite foods. I don't pretend though to understand what their family must go through on a daily basis. We can still go out to eat. Abigail can still have a birthday cake not a cardboard box decorated like a cake so that there are candles to blow out. I can still fix our family's favorite foods. We're not spending the equivalent of a mortgage payment each month on elemental juice boxes because insurance doesn't cover them. We can rely on organizations like FAAN to help fund food allergy research and serve as our voice for new legislation. Abigail has blood drawn and skin prick tests performed every 6 months. She's not put to sleep for an endoscopy every 2 to 3 months. No, I don't pretend to understand.
What I can do is help my friend raise awareness and be there for her when she needs emotional support. I love her dearly. I've been leaning on her for support in dealing with Abigail's allergy for years, and I can't thank her enough for that. She's a blessing in my life. She and her family deserve a few blessings themselves.
If you'd like to read more about EoE or find out more about National Eosinophil Awareness Week, my friend has a blog, www.eeldkids.blogspot.com.
I have a very dear friend whose 9 year old son has Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE). He went from a child that could eat everything to a young boy that could eat nothing. Earlier last year, his only food source was a special elemental formula juice box. After numerous endoscopies with biopsies, he has since been able to add foods to his diet. Know what he can eat now? Grapefruit, lite canned peaches, sweet potatoes and pinto beans. The only seasoning allowed is salt and sugar. His only drinks are water and the elemental formula juice boxes.
What is EoE? It's a disease characterized by inflammation of the esophagus with an abnormal number of eosinophils (a type of white blood cell associated with allergies, parasites and cancers). In my friend's son’s case, the elevated levels are caused by food and possibly environmental allergies. Symptoms vary by case. Her son started off with reflux that did not get better with medication and chronic stomach pain. As time went on he had chest pain, throat pain, regurgitation 20-40 times a day and vomiting after eating. He also has had chronic sinus infections since he was an infant and continues to suffer from croup during winter months.
I know what a battle it is to keep Abigail safe from the risks of her peanut allergy. I understand what means my friend goes through to keep her son safe, and I see how incredibly brave her son is as he watches his friends enjoy what used to be his favorite foods. I don't pretend though to understand what their family must go through on a daily basis. We can still go out to eat. Abigail can still have a birthday cake not a cardboard box decorated like a cake so that there are candles to blow out. I can still fix our family's favorite foods. We're not spending the equivalent of a mortgage payment each month on elemental juice boxes because insurance doesn't cover them. We can rely on organizations like FAAN to help fund food allergy research and serve as our voice for new legislation. Abigail has blood drawn and skin prick tests performed every 6 months. She's not put to sleep for an endoscopy every 2 to 3 months. No, I don't pretend to understand.
What I can do is help my friend raise awareness and be there for her when she needs emotional support. I love her dearly. I've been leaning on her for support in dealing with Abigail's allergy for years, and I can't thank her enough for that. She's a blessing in my life. She and her family deserve a few blessings themselves.
If you'd like to read more about EoE or find out more about National Eosinophil Awareness Week, my friend has a blog, www.eeldkids.blogspot.com.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Air Canada Denies Peanut Allergic Passenger...Right or Wrong?
Imagine this. Your 19 year old son is about to embark on a two week mission trip. Yes, he does have a severe peanut allergy, but as a family, you've flown several times a year for family vacations so you feel confident in his safety while aboard the airplane. After much preparation, it's time to take your son to the airport, get him checked in, kiss him good-bye and tell him to have a safe trip. Except that's not what happens. Instead, you get to the airport, go to check him in, properly declare that he's carrying Epi Pens and antihistamine tablets and are then told by the airline staff that he'll not be flying on their airline without authorization from their medical desk. Now, are you upset that your son is going to miss his flight or are you angry that your son is being penalized because he has a severe peanut allergy?
This was the case for Matthew Burns earlier this week as he tried to board Air Canada which would take him from Halifax to Toronto. From there he was going to catch a plane to Fiji where he would join the other volunteers for his mission trip (not a bad place to go for a mission trip...but I regress). His mom booked the flight using a rewards program, and told them of her son's allergy. She did not contact Air Canada directly.
Air Canada spells out their peanut allergy policy on their website. They require a 48 hour notification so that they can create a peanut free zone around the passenger's seat. In this case, the airline was not notified by the reward company, and they refused to let Matthew board the plane.
Matthew did make it to Fiji. He was able to get a seat aboard an American Airlines flight that same day. American Airlines didn't have a problem with his allergy. In fact, their website states that while they do not serve peanuts, they take no extra safety precautions for their food allergic customers.
So, what's worse? An airlines that refuses a customer because they did not receive notification and were not able to make a safe zone or an airline policy that says travel at your own risk? According to the article, the parents weren't necessarily upset because the airline refused to let their son board the plane, but more because the staff at the ticket counter wiped their hands of the situation and did not offer to help the family find a solution.
This was the case for Matthew Burns earlier this week as he tried to board Air Canada which would take him from Halifax to Toronto. From there he was going to catch a plane to Fiji where he would join the other volunteers for his mission trip (not a bad place to go for a mission trip...but I regress). His mom booked the flight using a rewards program, and told them of her son's allergy. She did not contact Air Canada directly.
Air Canada spells out their peanut allergy policy on their website. They require a 48 hour notification so that they can create a peanut free zone around the passenger's seat. In this case, the airline was not notified by the reward company, and they refused to let Matthew board the plane.
Matthew did make it to Fiji. He was able to get a seat aboard an American Airlines flight that same day. American Airlines didn't have a problem with his allergy. In fact, their website states that while they do not serve peanuts, they take no extra safety precautions for their food allergic customers.
So, what's worse? An airlines that refuses a customer because they did not receive notification and were not able to make a safe zone or an airline policy that says travel at your own risk? According to the article, the parents weren't necessarily upset because the airline refused to let their son board the plane, but more because the staff at the ticket counter wiped their hands of the situation and did not offer to help the family find a solution.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Happy Mother's Day!
I'm using a post that I wrote last year this time. I hope you don't mind seeing it again. It's one of my personal favorites. Happy Mother's Day to all of my wonderful readers!
Today I want to recognize a special group of moms...moms of children with life-threatening allergies. A mom with an allergic child has a lot on her plate making sure certain foods stay off their kids' plates! So, here's to the moms that make sure that the EpiPens and antihistamines are always on hand and in date, that read every label on every food, that call ahead to restaurants to see if the food is safe, that know every party/special occasion that takes place in their child's class in order to provide a comparable safe treat, that have meeting after meeting with school officials and teachers to discuss the special requirements of their child's allergy, that fill out multiple health forms and action plans with in case of emergency details, that receive the grumbling from a few that feel put out for having to accommodate their child's allergy, that hate knowing their child will be labeled as disabled, that search cookbooks looking for allergy friendly recipes and websites looking for alternative ingredients, that break the bad news to their child that they can't attend a function because it's not safe, that help their child sort through Halloween candy bags and Valentine card boxes to remove offending treats only to find that the throw out pile is larger than the keep pile, that keep up-to-date with all food recall information to make sure there isn't a mislabeled food violation in their pantry, that write their political leaders asking for more support for food allergy issues, that get angry with food manufacturers for worrying more about the bottom line then the safety of their child, that go to battle with acquaintances maybe even family members that don't believe the seriousness of their child's allergy, that hold their child's hand tightly while they have blood drawn or their skin pricked during a food allergy test, that explain to their child one more time that they're not weird and that yes it is unfair that they have this allergy, that pray regularly that there will someday be a cure for or even just a better understanding of food allergies, that wait year after year thinking this will be the one when their child outgrows their allergy only to realize that it's probably not going to happen, that watch their child go off to school by himself and worry all day that he isn't exposed to that one or more foods that can make him deathly ill, that soothe a child upset by an insensitive comment made by a peer, that spend hours researching the latest food allergy treatments, that drive miles out of the way to shop at grocery stores that stock safe foods, that spend hundreds of dollars more a year for those safe foods, that frequent their child's school at lunchtime so that their child doesn't have to sit alone, that shelter their young child from the true consequences of their food allergy and later watches as their older child accepts those consequences for themselves, that teach their child how to inject a life-saving device into their thigh, that hope their teenager isn't too cool or too forgetful to carry their EpiPen when they're out with their friends, that rush to the hospital because one of their greatest fears did occur and their child is having difficulty breathing, that remove an offending food from their own diet so as to not put their child at risk, that privately battle their anxiety, that paste a smile on their face and assure their child that everything is going to be okay and that pray they can keep it together, be strong for their child and family and protect their child from the dangers they face on a daily basis. To you fellow moms, a very special Happy Mother's Day!
Many Blessings,
Melanie
Today I want to recognize a special group of moms...moms of children with life-threatening allergies. A mom with an allergic child has a lot on her plate making sure certain foods stay off their kids' plates! So, here's to the moms that make sure that the EpiPens and antihistamines are always on hand and in date, that read every label on every food, that call ahead to restaurants to see if the food is safe, that know every party/special occasion that takes place in their child's class in order to provide a comparable safe treat, that have meeting after meeting with school officials and teachers to discuss the special requirements of their child's allergy, that fill out multiple health forms and action plans with in case of emergency details, that receive the grumbling from a few that feel put out for having to accommodate their child's allergy, that hate knowing their child will be labeled as disabled, that search cookbooks looking for allergy friendly recipes and websites looking for alternative ingredients, that break the bad news to their child that they can't attend a function because it's not safe, that help their child sort through Halloween candy bags and Valentine card boxes to remove offending treats only to find that the throw out pile is larger than the keep pile, that keep up-to-date with all food recall information to make sure there isn't a mislabeled food violation in their pantry, that write their political leaders asking for more support for food allergy issues, that get angry with food manufacturers for worrying more about the bottom line then the safety of their child, that go to battle with acquaintances maybe even family members that don't believe the seriousness of their child's allergy, that hold their child's hand tightly while they have blood drawn or their skin pricked during a food allergy test, that explain to their child one more time that they're not weird and that yes it is unfair that they have this allergy, that pray regularly that there will someday be a cure for or even just a better understanding of food allergies, that wait year after year thinking this will be the one when their child outgrows their allergy only to realize that it's probably not going to happen, that watch their child go off to school by himself and worry all day that he isn't exposed to that one or more foods that can make him deathly ill, that soothe a child upset by an insensitive comment made by a peer, that spend hours researching the latest food allergy treatments, that drive miles out of the way to shop at grocery stores that stock safe foods, that spend hundreds of dollars more a year for those safe foods, that frequent their child's school at lunchtime so that their child doesn't have to sit alone, that shelter their young child from the true consequences of their food allergy and later watches as their older child accepts those consequences for themselves, that teach their child how to inject a life-saving device into their thigh, that hope their teenager isn't too cool or too forgetful to carry their EpiPen when they're out with their friends, that rush to the hospital because one of their greatest fears did occur and their child is having difficulty breathing, that remove an offending food from their own diet so as to not put their child at risk, that privately battle their anxiety, that paste a smile on their face and assure their child that everything is going to be okay and that pray they can keep it together, be strong for their child and family and protect their child from the dangers they face on a daily basis. To you fellow moms, a very special Happy Mother's Day!
Many Blessings,
Melanie
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