Another child lost to food allergy….

Ammaria Johnson, an elementary school student in Chesterfield County, VA died Monday at school after suffering a fatal allergic reaction at school. She was only seven years old. Ammaria’s death shook the food allergy community to its core. How could this have happened? What precautions were taken at her school? What emergency directives were followed, or not followed? Read the latest story here. However, not enough information is available yet about what exactly happened. What we do know is that this little girl, who had a peanut allergy, ingested a peanut product and suffered a severe allergic reaction. There isn’t enough information about exactly what happened after that, but allegedly the school didn’t give medication to counter the attack, the school apparently called the mother first instead of 911, the school allegedly denied the mother’s request to keep Ammaria’s EpiPen at school in the event of an emergency, and after what seemed to be a series of missteps, the girl died shortly after at CJW Medical Center. I’ll say it again, there isn’t enough information available about this tragedy, but one thing we know for sure is, Ammaria’s death, like most food allergy deaths, was preventable.

The journalist in me won’t make assumptions until all the facts are out. But I will say that if the school did, in fact decline the mother’s request to keep an EpiPen at school for emergencies, they will be held responsible for negligence and not having an appropriate policy in place for children with severe food allergies. I read the fine print of their “policy” but if a clinical aid refuses the only medication that could save a food allergic child’s life, than all the rest of their policy is crap and BS. The right meds for these kids need to be in the right places at all times. No exceptions.

Which brings me to my son’s school and where they keep EpiPens, medications for children with food allergies. We are fortunate to have a school nurse. She has a big cabinet filled with resealable plastic bags of medications for children with food allergies. The nurse is located down the hallway from the cafeteria. In the event of an emergency in the lunchroom, it would seem there would be enough time to get a child down to the nurse, go through the packs of medications to find his/her specific bag of medication, administer one EpiPen for 10 seconds, maybe two if the first one doesn’t work, call 911 and pray the child responds to the corrective action.

However, I never felt comfortable with this process, because it is assuming everything will go exactly as planned, and that the child’s allergy will be recognized quickly enough to escort the child down to the nurse. I’ve always requested that a second EpiPen package be stored in cafeteria with the lunch monitors who handle the payment/check in. That person is trained on the EpiPen, and the monitors know what to look for in the event of a reaction. This emergency protocol is labeled in John’s 504 Plan. Today, as I was picking up John for his allergist appointment, I asked the office to double check to make sure John’s EpiPens were still stored in the lunchroom. The office confirmed that it was, and out of curiosity I asked if there were any other medicine kits stored in the lunchroom. The nice lady smiled, and responded…”No. Just John’s.”

The proposed School Access to Emergency Act “would enable schools to maintain a supply of epinephrine and enable staff to administer an Epipen to a student having an anaphylactic reaction.” Please read this article for more information about why it is important for you to contact your local congressman or woman for support. In my opinion, every LUNCHROOM should be equipped with EpiPens in the event of a food allergy emergency. There are a number of factors that could affect the child getting the right rescue medication at the right time. We encourage our children to always have their medicine kits on them 24/7, so why wouldn’t we have them available in the lunchrooms, where there is the most risk to these kids? Something to consider when drafting your child’s 504 Plan.

After seven hive reactions in two weeks, I took John to his allergist today to determine why. No new allergies were detected. John’s allergist said recurrent break out of hives is actually common in kids with food allergies when they are exposed to certain viral infections. As long as there isn’t any other respiratory or oral symptoms, it should be fine to treat John with daily antihistamines until the virus has worked itself out. It was interesting to note that John’s skin test and blood result for peanuts is still greater than 100 (KU/L), class 6 (highest class possible), combine that with John’s asthma and, according to John’s doctor an anaphylactic reaction could occur within 1-3 minutes. 1-3 minutes….is all it would take for my son to die if he didn’t have his EpiPens on him. Another variable is possibly how much peanut product would be ingested….the more ingested, the faster the reaction. As we all know, peanut traces could be in breads, cookies, snacks, etc. THIS is the reality parents of children with food allergies have to live with every day when we send our kids out the door. I used to think when John was in preschool that it would get easier when he got older. But I am finding that it is much, much harder. At the end of the day, John desperately wants to be a normal kid, who hangs out, plays sports and goes to 7- 11 with his friends to buy Gatorade. I get it, and I’m letting go as much as possible. But after hearing of another food allergy death…it just makes it all so hard to deal with.

Children are a great gift to us all. As parents we love them more than our own lives, and would gladly give ours to save theirs. We’re fiercely protective of them, and that will never go away. Keep fighting the fight, there’s much more work to be done in awareness, advocacy and prevention. Don’t take no for answer, ever, and believe that your child’s rights at school are just as important as any other child. Believe that homeschooling doesn’t need to be the answer, that your child can adjust happily and even thrive in any environment. And most importantly, believe in the power of YOUR voice, and empower your child to feel the same.

In the meantime, my prayers will always be with Ammaria’s family and loved ones, and hope that we can all help to prevent another child’s death from food. Here’s a great list from FAAN about the Anaphylaxis Do’s and Don’ts. Please read and share.

Baking with Martha Stewart ;)

I’m so excited to tell y’all that I’ll be on The Martha Stewart Show, December 16th at 9 am CST/10 am EST on The Hallmark Channel. We’ll be talking about baking allergen-friendly recipes for the holidays, and I’ll show Martha my favorite holiday treat; dairy, egg and nut free molasses cookies. (If you need a wheat free/gluten-free version simply swap the wheat with your favorite gluten-free flour blend). Martha has really embraced learning more about the world of food allergies, and is one of the only cooking experts to even tackle this issue in a mainstream forum. My dear friends Cybele Pascal (author of Allergen-Free Bakers Handbook & Whole Foods Cookbook) and Lori Sandler (owner of Divvies Bakery and The Divvies Bakery Cookbook) were the first fabulous food allergy mamas who appeared on Martha’s show the past few years, and really paved the way to getting the word out on delicious and easy allergen friendly recipes for our families. Because of their hard work and advocacy, more people are talking about our world, embracing our challenges and now baking wonderful allergen free treats that everyone enjoys. But another HUGE food allergy advocate that you may not know about is one of Martha’s senior producers, who is the leading force behind getting our story told. She lives as a food allergy mama like the rest of us, and has been a silent advocate in getting a big name show like The Martha Stewart Show to cover food allergies and recipes. It really is because of her tireless work on behalf of all of us that these stories are told. A big, huge, enormous virtual thank YOU…you are one of the unsung hero’s of food allergy awareness.

The clip will most likely be on Martha’s website tomorrow, and it would be fantastic if you all could show your support of these types of segments by posting a comment to the video clip. I know that if Martha’s staff could see how much these types of stories mean to us, and that there is a huge demographic of viewers that want more allergen aware segments, they would possibly be open to even more of them in the future. The more mainstream food allergy coverage is, the better for all of us. When we get people talking about it, we bring awareness. And awareness brings compassion and diligence.

I’m so proud to be a part of such an amazing and support community of parents who are so passionate about food allergy awareness. Simply read my previous post, and all those incredible comments from so many of you, and you can literally feel the positive and warm energy. Your comments brought tears to my eyes, time after time. I’m beyond grateful to have you all to connect with. There are so many advocates, too many to name here, but who are always working behind the scenes and in front of the scenes to get the right information out there. I thank my lucky stars for you every day.

One more thing, my all time favorite site in the world for food allergy info, FAAN is posting another one of my holiday recipes on their blog FAANnotes. I hope you enjoy it.

Happy Baking everyone and a VERY VERY Happy Holiday Season to you and your families!

xoxox

A happy and proud food allergy mama…

My food allergic son John will turn nine Wednesday. I know we all cherish our children’s birthdays, but for me, I especially thank God every year on John’s birthday that he is alive and well, and pretty much like any other 4th grade boy who loves sports, playing guitar and hanging with his friends. I used to dread John’s birthday because I was reminded of all the things he COULDN’T have; pizza, cake, cupcakes, candy and ice cream. But for several years now I am reminded of everything he CAN have, and that his life is by no means living without. John lives as fully as any kid I know, and appreciates every little thing in life (for example, his sincere joy and gratitude from being able to eat a peanut free Vegan Ice Cream cone at Lollapalooza this year…he truly enjoyed that moment for all it was worth). I think sometimes as a parent of kids with food allergies and special needs, I get weighed down by advocating and keeping my kiddos safe and happy. But I’m increasingly letting go and trusting that all will be well. Always vigilant, of course, but trying to infuse way more fun and timeless carelessness into our daily lives and routine. This year, on John’s birthday, I will light a special candle for him and for all the kids out there who perhaps were given the short end of the stick, whether it is with food allergies or with learning disabilities or serious illnesses, EVERY child deserves to feel like they are like any other kid.

Finally, after years of debate and efforts to promote food allergy awareness at my son’s schools, the day has finally come where I feel like we have made TREMENDOUS progress. Today I attended our schools’ Room Parent Meeting, to which our principal got up and addressed the room parents about the seriousness of food allergies, and that new procedures will be in place. For example, our school will celebrate birthdays AND holiday parties in a NON food manner for Kindergarten, First and Second Grades. The third and fourth grades will be up to the discretion of the classroom teacher. Grade level parties will be conducted with NO FOOD (remember my 1st grade Spanish Mercado and Thanksgiving Party stories?). Finally, the district has developed a comprehensive list of Food Allergy Policies and Procedures, as well as specific Food In Classroom guidelines. The link is here and I strongly recommend you forward these documents to your schools and preschools so they can further develop their own safe food allergy best practices. There are also sample letters and tips for you to use. During my principal’s address today, she went out of her way to mention that if any parents in their children’s classrooms have concerns about No Food Parties, or are getting any push back about safe snacks, etc. (ie Dairy Free classrooms, etc) that they should contact her directly. She doesn’t want anyone to feel like they have to defend the policy, and that she will take the time address the seriousness of the food allergy policy. As a “food allergy mama” advocate, I have had more than my fair share of parent push back on food policies I’ve advocated for years (thanks to our rights outlined in John’s 504 Plan). Hearing this come out of my principal’s mouth meant the world to me, because it allows me to not be the “face” or take on the burden any more. I’m truly grateful and excited for these new policies, and hope you can use some of the documents in your own schools.

Have a GREAT beginning of the school year everyone!!!

Summer is almost over, school is about to start, are you ready?

Howdy! Wow, I feel as though I’ve been kind of a loser blogger this summer (seeing as I have only averaged one measly post a month!). But I honestly needed the break. Last spring was so crazy emotionally and physically that I had to step back and just hang out. It was a great summer of a whole lotta nothing. This month in particular has been a blast:

LOLLAPALOOZA: My FA son John attended this amazing 3 day music festival for the 3rd year in row…not bad for a soon to be 9-year-old boy! John is a true music lover, and enjoys everything from rap and techno to reggae and rock. He will sit patiently for hours and listen to a new bad he hasn’t heard before, or roam the enormous festival grounds and take in a view of the masses. I’ve taught him the two most important lessons while attending music festivals; watch where you are walking (in order to avoid stepping on something you don’t want to) and when using the portapottie, focus on happy thoughts and get in and out very quickly. John’s personal highlights included seeing Foo Fighters and Deadmau5 live in the pouring rain and getting a decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cone at the Temptation Ice Cream Booth (Vegan Ice Cream made by the excellent Chicago SoyDairy. It was the coolest thing to witness; a food allergic kiddo ordering his own cone at a music fest:

Big kudos to the Lollapalooza staff because they allowed us to bring in our own safe food for John in a cooler as long as we had a doctor’s note. Security was pretty cool about it, except for one jerk who questioned my note, and said any person can fake a doctor’s note. I looked at him with my best evil “Don’t F**** with me” look, one I think only a mom can really give, and then kindly asked if wanted to “search” the contents of the cooler to make sure I wasn’t smuggling in other stuff I shouldn’t be smuggling in. I was half-joking, but he got all serious and dug into the contents. Once he saw graham crackers and a turkey sandwich I think he felt like a tool. Or at least I hoped he felt like a tool.

So now that summer is winding down, it’s time to shift gears from lazy to crazy. Except this time I’m going to go less crazy and not stress as much as I used to about getting my kids ready for the school year. I’m not buying any new school clothes until it’s REALLY fall, I’m not going to be a room parent for the first time in 9 years, and I’m going to think positively that all the hard work of developing IEP’s and 504 Plans last spring will pay off this fall. But just to be sure, I have contacted my FA son’s school principal to facilitate a meeting with our nurse, assistant principal and teacher. John’s 504 can be carried over annually until 2014 (when we reassess eligibility) but I always like to make sure everyone is on the same page from day one so there is no confusion down the road. Many of you have written and asked me about 504 Plans, and how to draft them. If your child has a life threatening food allergy, he may qualify if he “has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working, eating, sleeping, standing, lifting, bending, reading, concentrating, thinking and communicating”. Schedule a meeting BEFORE school starts with your child’s principle to determine eligibility. In regard to how to word the language in the 504, it’s simple. Ask for as much protection you think your child needs because it is your child’s legal right, and ultimately your child’s school will want to keep him safe. After many years of tweaking John’s plan, here is what I asked to be written in the document, and what was agreed to by all parties:

Medical 504: John must have medications at school (Benadryl and Epipens) in case of accidental ingestion of allergens above (name allergens, history of reactions, how your child reacts (ie via ingestion, touch) and indicate whether your child has asthma.) John’s classroom will remain peanut free and dairy free. John has the option of eating at the peanut free table in the cafeteria during lunchtime. Care must be taken that John is not given any foods containing milk, peanuts, tree nuts, legumes and or peas. John’s parents must be notified anytime other than usual snack time, that food will be offered in any of his classes. Parents will then come in and examine the food labels to check for allergens. Students, in any classroom John is in, will bring their own snack and there will be no sharing of snacks. Parents of John’s classmates will be given a letter on food allergies at the beginning of the school year. Parents will be given alternative activities for birthday parties (no food will be served). These include reading a book, leading a game or sending non food goody bags. The nurse will provide information regarding John’s allergies and asthma to all teachers that work with John including specials teachers. An extra epi-pen will be kept in the cafeteria. John will wear a medic alert bracelet. The school staff will be trained in the use of the epi pen at the start of the school year. If John has an asthma attack, he will be escorted to the office by an adult and the nurse will administer Albuterol inhaler as per doctor. An Emergency Action Plan is in place. A copy of it is in the substitute file, in the nurse’s office, and attached. John’s reactions to his allergens: hives, itching, mouth hurts and vomiting, difficulty breathing. When staff members observes hives he will be given xx dose of Benadryl immediately. The parent will be called to pick up John. If John complains his mouth hurts, coughing, itchy throat and difficulty breathing, and it appears to be allergy related, the school staff will administer the EpiPen. The school nurse will be contacted and 911 will be called. Then the parent will be called. John’s medication, wet wipes and EAP will go on all field trips with him.

Feel free to use this 504 Plan for John as your own guide in developing your child’s specific plan.

Finally, I wanted to share a link for you to check out, and go vote for me as a “Momimee” at Babble. The winner with the most votes gets $5,000 to go toward their favorite charity (which would be FAAN and FAI for me). My BFF in Arizona nominated me (unbeknownst to me), and I’m thrilled and honored. Pass the word along in the food allergy community and vote HERE . Every dollar for food allergy awareness counts!!

Have a great last few weeks of August everyone and totally looking forward to working a little harder in the fall! xoxox

My newest projects….

Hi everyone! I check my blog on a regular basis to read all your comments, and then realized, oh my goodness it has been a solid month since I last posted! SOOOO not like me! But please know I’ve been busy doing other food allergy related projects such as writing new recipes (not ready to post yet, but will soon so keep checking back) and working on some new blogging/contributor projects such as:

Contributor for the super cool Robot Vegan: I can’t scream loud enough about how much I LOVE and ADORE this site and group of cool chics. The site recently went live and already has so much fabulous information, recipes and articles. Take a minute to browse through their site and get hooked. I will be doing some recipes and Ask the Expert Column for them, and will have something on their site VERY SOON. Work in progress and can’t wait!!

Cooking Light Tried and Tested Blogger: I’ll be testing some new recipes (see below for my first one) for Cooking Light, a longtime favorite magazine of mine, and posting the results and recipe for y’all to try as well.

Expert Blogger at Martha Stewart’s Whole Living: I’ve already done a few GF Friday posts for Whole Living, and have a brand spankin’ new Gluten and Allergen Free one coming your way in the next few weeks.

Top 100 Mom Food Blogger Bites Contributor: As a Babble Food Blogger I’ll be sharing my favorite tips and tricks to get in and out of the kitchen fast. When you have a minute check out all the bloggers, I’ve already scooped up some fabulous ideas from these superwomen who like to cook and love to eat!

Guest Blogger for Williams-Sonoma’s company blog “The Blender” : I’ll be doing some kid friendly and allergy aware recipes and meal tips…not posted yet but coming very soon. I love this blog; it’s filled with some great tips and recipes, and just love WS in general.

Yet to be named Screenplay: Totally off topic from my normal writing duties but boy am I having FUN with this! In my previous life before kids, carpools and writing cookbooks I used to be a news producer/writer and dabbled in screenwriting then too. Though I never sold a script, I hope to finish a couple of stories that have been brewing in my mind for a long time. It takes time do this sort of thing, but slow and steady wins the race I guess, right?

But the most time-consuming thing I have been doing lately is simply enjoying the sunshine and lazy days of doing nothing with my kids. We’re not doing anything fancy, just catching some fireflies, digging for worms and eating lots of popsicles. I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer, keeps sending me your ideas and suggestions, and let me know what you think of this new Cooking Light recipe!

SHREDDED CHICKEN TACOS WITH TOMATOES AND CORN courtesy of Cooking Light

This recipe has quickly become my newest favorite dinner to make for my family, and with the hot and humid weather, one I am making a lot. I don’t have to fire up the grill If I don’t want to slave over hot coals in 100 degree heat, and the entire dish can be finished in under 30 minutes. A few personal modifications:

I used Gluten Free/Wheat Free tortillas instead of the suggested corn tortillas with excellent results.
Broiling the corn using shredded rotisserie chicken is a HUGE time saver, but I’ve also used leftover grilled chicken and corn with excellent results.
I love the addition of extra veggies, and have successfully used leftover roasted red and yellow pepper as well as some grilled zucchini. The more veggies the better.
If you don’t want to use any tortillas this is a fabulous dinner “salad” as well. Add fresh basil for more flavor.

This recipe is healthy, fast and delish….a keeper for sure.

My Windy City Live Appearance…

Hope everyone is well! Things have been fabulously slow around here and I am just enjoying being home with the kids and having no obligations. This morning I had an appearance on Windy City Live, a local live talk show in Chicago. It was big fun and everyone was so willing to talk about food allergies, especially the new study that came out Monday. I am just grateful that more people are talking about food allergies, and hopefully with that comes more awareness. I’d love you all to spread the word, and comment on the clip at the Windy City Live site, or at their Windy City Live Facebook page. The more people talk about it, the more food allergy segments and topics we could see in the future. Thank you so much!

Finally, I’d love to know what kind of recipe you want to see here next. I am looking for YOUR fabulous ideas and inspiration. Thanks so much everyone as always for your amazing support!!

New Martha Stewart Blog Contributor….

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to give y’all a heads up that I will be doing some blogging for Martha Stewart’s Whole Living site. I’m very excited as it is another way to reach a whole other audience with great allergen friendly recipes and tips. I’d LOVE LOVE LOVE for you to show your support for my posts on her forum by clicking here and leaving a comment or question for me. You guys have all been my biggest support system and have helped me so much with your limitless helpful comments and supportive words. So many of you have helped me with every recipe I develop through your testing, reviews and even fabulous hints and substitutions. I can’t thank you enough for making this blog as great as it is…it’s only as good as the wonderful people who read and contribute to it. I hope my contributions at Whole Living will be just as helpful.

In addition, if you are in the Chicago area please come tomorrow to the Gluten & Allergen Free Expo in Lisle, IL. I will be there doing a demo on how to bake for Allergen Free Parties on the Public Stage in the Vendor Fair at 11:45 a.m. I really hope to see some of you there!! The event runs through Sunday and it is not to be missed. So many of your favorite authors and bloggers are going to be there and I can’t say enough about the founder Jen Cafferty, who never ceases to amaze me with her creative spirit and energy. This is a HUGE event to pull off, and she does it so flawlessly.

Finally, Food Allergy Awareness is week is only a couple short weeks away. This is a fantastic opportunity to get into your child’s school to read a story about food allergies, talk to your school administration and lunch staff about safer and healthier food practices at school, telling friends and neighbors and writing letters to your local media. EVERYONE can contribute their time and talent to get people talking about food allergies, and what we can do about them. FAAN has done a stellar job in putting together easy school presentations and more. Go here to find out more and how you can help.

Thanks again everyone and hope to see many of you over at Whole Living!

xoxox

An Update on EVERYTHING…

Wow, where has the time gone? I’m so sorry for being MIA the past several weeks. Things have been incredibly busy for so many reasons; vacation, IEP meetings and testing, sports, and many other obligations resulting from having lots of little kids under one roof. I have found there just isn’t enough time, so if for some reason it seems as though I dropped off the face of the earth, not returning emails and writing posts, please bear with me. Some times it just has to be until I get my head screwed back on!

Here’s what has been going on in a readers digest version:

VACATION: Our entire family of 7 took a much-needed vacation to Scottsdale, Arizona for spring break. It was warm, beautiful and mostly relaxing. I have to say that the food allergy part always throws a wrench into some of our plans, but overall everything worked out just fine. Both flights were non eventful; we showed up early, brought our own food and sat on the plane with no worries at all. Of course I had several packs of Epi Pens in my carry on so I felt pretty good about being prepared in the event of an emergency. Even baby Michael did pretty well for each flight. We stayed in a condo, a must if you have a large family and if you have food allergies. We cooked most of our own meals at home, and it saved a ridiculous amount money, worry and stress. The vacation revolved very little around food in general, and more about the experiences together.

IEP SEASON: For those of you that don’t know what an IEP is, it is an Individualized Educational Plan, a state mandated document that outlines and lists the educational goals and accommodations for children who have learning challenges, etc. I have three children with IEP’s and one with a 504 Plan, so the spring season is usually pretty stressful for me personally. In addition to the normal IEP meetings, my kids are up for their three-year reevaluation, which basically means a lot of additional testing to determine their eligibility. It’s a long and somewhat stressful process, and one I never look forward too. In fact, I just had conferences for three of my kids last Friday, and I usually walk away reminded of the fact that our educational path isn’t the typical one, nor is it easy. Advocating for them in school is one of the most important ways I can spend my time. All children have various learning styles, challenges and gifts, and it is important that their spirit is never broken because they learn “differently”. As I often tell my kids, there is always a solution to every problem.

GO FOR THE GOLD: This month I had the good fortune to present a nutritional workshop to two classes of first graders in Chicago as part of Michelle Obama’s Go For the Gold campaign for healthier eating in schools. Check out the link to find out more information, perhaps there is something you can take back to your own schools. I’ve always found that the best way to promote change in food policies at schools is to approach it from a wide-reaching perspective; increased childhood obesity, higher numbers of children with ADHD, diabetes and food allergies, all whom could truly benefit from healthier eating at school. Another great organization to get on board with is Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. They are tackling the food issue in schools and working hard to limit the amount of icky processed food that is being served to kids all over the country. Better food policies at school in general is a must. Kids rely on us to look out for them and their general well-being. Serving healthier food is an important part of that equation.

FAAN CONFERENCE CHICAGO: I was fortunate to attend FAAN’s amazing and powerful food allergy conference in Oak Brook, IL this past Saturday. I also presented an Allergen Free Baking Workshop which was LOADS of fun. I LOVED meeting so many of you, hearing your stories and answering your questions. Every year I attend, I am astounded by the amount of new information I learn, and inspired by all the incredible stories I hear from FA parents all over the country. If you live on the West Coast, consider attending the June 11th Anaheim conference. FAAN did a stellar job as usual, and we should all be so grateful that there are fabulous organizations like FAAN supporting all of us and our FA children.

GLUTEN AND ALLERGEN FREE EXPO CHICAGO (APRIL 29-MAY 1ST): If you live even remotely close to the Chicago area, this event is not to be missed. There are going to be so many fabulous vendors, authors, and speakers from all over the country sharing their products and expertise. I personally can’t wait to see all the cool chefs and authors (see the full rundown here). I will also be one of the presenters (though I’d hardly call myself a chef!) on Saturday, April 30th at 11:45am. I will be doing a demo on Allergen Free Parties. Hope to see many of you there!

Finally, I just came across this story today, and am sure many of you may be as well. As with all the other recent stories of a child dying from a food allergic reaction, this one hit me just as hard. I cried, and felt every muscle in my body ache. It is such a helpless, sad and terrifying feeling that confirms our fear and reality; our children could die if they eat the wrong food, if they have a life threatening reaction, if they don’t happen to have their medicine on them, or in this case, the medicine wasn’t administered fast enough. My heart breaks for this family. The minute I read the story, I wanted to reach out to my son John at school and give him the biggest hug I could. I wanted to look into his big brown eyes and freckled face, and tell him how much I love him, and how grateful I am to be his mother. I’ve experienced great loss in my life, but I NEVER want to know THAT kind of pain….the loss of your child. I am praying for this family and their friends, and pray their hearts and souls recover and mend, though I don’t know how that is possible. Until we find a cure, this is the fear that drives me to do whatever I can each day to raise awareness and keep our kids safe. NEVER apologize for that, to your schools, teachers, principals, other family members, whomever. Do whatever you have to do to keep your child safe.

I hope you all have a blessed Easter with your families.

The Peanut Protest

Everyone is talking about this story. CNN covered it, MSNBC, The Today Show, Fox News, and countless daily newspapers, blogs and other news outlets. It’s the perfect recipe for a story with legs (in the newsroom this is what we label a story that runs off and takes on its own life); an innocent child with a disability, crazed and loud parents lining up the street outside an elementary school with big signs saying “where does it end?” and yelling “what about our rights?”, the school superintendent explaining that they are following the law in their protective measures, the food allergy doctor expert giving the facts about food allergies and then throw in the anchor/interviewer who seems agitated by the story and later discloses she has a child with a food allergy. Then there’s that whole online troll community, who literally wait at their keyboards for the next hot topic story and start typing horrible, insensitive and ridiculous comments (you know the ones, where they write vile and cruel comments online but would never ever have the guts to say it to your face? Creeps).

So many of my fellow food allergy bloggers have done a beautiful job of commenting on this story, and shared great perspectives on a story that hits so close to home for all of us. For me, the whole story is senseless and unfortunate. There was a real opportunity here to teach love, empathy and compassion for fellow students that aren’t exactly like them. That moment was lost, and instead was replaced with petty anger and the motivation to protest an innocent little girl’s legally mandated health accommodations. I cringed when I heard soundbites such as “Where’s our rights? Where does it stop? This takes too much time out the educational part of our kids’ day? That child should be homeschooled!” These parents are misguided in their comments. I’m not even that upset that they don’t get it. What pisses me off more is that they don’t seem to CARE to get “it”. Because if they really wanted to know what this food allergy thing was all about, they would do their research, read the statistics and come to the conclusion that food allergies are a real disability with no cure.

I would like to think that the parents in the Florida school talked to the teachers and administrators, visited the FAAN website, and really tried to understand why this sweet little 6-year-old girl needs special accommodations in her school and classroom. Maybe they did, I don’t know. But what I do know is that they chose to take whatever information they had, and decide the best solution in keeping the food allergic girl safe was to protest like crazy. They protested hand washing and mouth rinsing. They protested the elimination of snacks. They made big poster boards for the world to see. They got riled up on camera. It’s all good stuff for the newsroom. But it’s bad news for our already heavy hearts. This issue is much closer to us than what the soundbites are saying. It’s hard to watch and even harder to process logically. Because there is no logic in this protest. It is just a wasteland of a story.

I will say this, I think in some ways the parents who protested so loudly on this issue did the rest of us a big favor. The media heavily covered it, got great experts on to give the facts and good advice on allergies, and friends emailed and called me to talk about this story. This is a great opportunity to educate others and raise awareness. People are talking about it, and that’s a very good thing. I hope the little girl in Florida isn’t too traumatized by all the media attention. She’s so young and vulnerable, and I hope those pesky parents back off and do their protesting in private, leaving their signs at home. She didn’t deserve any of that nonsense, and no child ever should have to face that kind of scrutiny.

Finally, I wanted to pass along an email a good friend of mine sent to her family members after a child in her daughter’s class suffered a severe reaction during a school field trip, and didn’t have their medication. I think it serves as a good reminder that you can never be vigilant enough….

I was in Springfield yesterday on a 5th grade field trip with Laney when one of her classmates had a allergic reaction to peanut butter. He is 11yrs. old and has never had a bad reaction before. His mom did not have her epipen with her. He was sitting next to a boy that had peanut butter and they think he somehow touched his hand or the table and was exposed. He started out with hives and then started coughing and his throat was closing up. We called 911 and they were there within minutes. I went in the ambulance to the hospital with the mom and child and they were able to get him the epipen, oxygen, etc… in time.

As you can imagine it was a very scary experience for everyone involved. I send this to you as a reminder that we need to carry Maddie’s epipen with us at all times, no exceptions. Yes, the chances of it happening to her are extremely rare but I would never want to be in that situation without it.

I asked him, after he was feeling better, what it felt like and he actually said he thought he was going to die or suffocate.. It was really sad and the fear in his eyes is not something easily forgotten.

Finally, everyone was hesitant to call 911, thinking that the benedryl he was given would kick in. Never wait, every second counts in these situation.

Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Chocolate Sugar Cookies and A Food Allergy Cooking Show Today!

Valentine’s Day is only two weeks away. So now is the time to give these fabulous little chocolate sugar cookies a whirl. Even better, do it on a snowy day like today, when many of us mamas are trapped in the house with rambunctious kids. I love a good simple sugar cookie, and this chocolate version is just as yummy and easy to make. What I especially love is that the dough is very easy to roll out, unlike many sugar cookie recipes which are a pain in the butt to roll, a major pet peeve of mine when making cut out cookies.

On a separate note, my good friend Lori Sandler, owner of the famous Divvies Bakery and gorgeous cookbook The Divvies Bakery Cookbook is hosting Navigating Food Allergies, a cooking/talk show about how to cook for food allergies, shopping for ingredients and how to bring your food allergic kiddos into the kitchen with you to have some fun cooking! The show is sponsored by The Motherhood and ConAgra Foods (the maker of those miraculous Fleischman’s Unsalted and Dairy Free Margarine Sticks that I so heavily rely on). I will be joining her as co-host, as well as many of my other favorite food allergy bloggers, to join in the discussion with our own tips and tricks. The show is today, 1 pm EST/12 pm CST, and you can link in through here. Come with your questions and comments and I REALLY hope to see many of you there! Happy Baking Everyone!

DAIRY, EGG AND NUT FREE CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIES

1 c. dairy free margarine (I use Fleischman’s)

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce

2 1/4 tsp. good quality vanilla (I use Nielsen-Massey)

3 c. unbleached all purpose flour

3/4 c. cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the dairy free margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the applesauce and vanilla, and mix well. In a separate medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Add dry mixture to wet mixture and mix until well incorporated.

Chill dough at least one hour in the fridge, or quick chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface. Dip cookie cutter into a small bowl of flour and cut dough into desired shapes. Add sprinkles or leave plain, and bake 10-13 minutes or until set. Cool completely on cookie sheets.