My family was scheduled to be on a flight from Denver to Newark on August 31, 2013.  In the waiting area before we boarded, there was a family of five eating peanuts.  I informed them that my child had an anaphylactic peanut allergy and we then moved to different seats in the waiting area.  I also asked them if they were on our flight.  Unfortunately, the kids weren’t  just eating peanuts, but throwing them up in the air and missing their mouths as well as crushing them on the carpet.  As my eight year old looks on with horrified eyes after I had already spoken to the parents, I started taking steps that I always do to try and keep him safe when we travel.  I asked United to make an announcement on the plane that there is a child with a life threatening peanut allergy in seat 8A and to refrain from opening peanuts around him.  This has been done as a courtesy on every United flight that I have taken.  They refused to do this again and again as I spoke to multiple people on the chain of command.  They stated that the flight crew was not going to make such an announcement and that this was their final decision.  My son, at that point, is crying as they have been less than tactful in front of him and he is saying that "I don't want to die on a plane".  Of course, we refused to board.  The plane took off and then they took over two hours to get our luggage to us.  They could not have been less helpful.

To bring an eight year old to tears and to terrorize him is unacceptable and needs to be published.  United Airlines should be ashamed of themselves.  I have since done some research and found out that, after a flight crew on United made the same refusal to a woman in May, she subsequently went into anaphylaxis on the plane and the plane had to make an emergency landing.  The person who opened the peanuts, when interviewed, said if an announcement was made, they never would have opened them.  All we wanted was basic awareness and decency. I have since filed a complaint with the Department of Transportation.  My goal, however, is to bring awareness to the public of the perils of traveling with a child with life threatening allergies.  Losing a child to a food is just so senseless.  The public needs to be aware of the seriousness of food allergies.  Please see Natalie Giorgio's story here.  What a sad story.  Food allergies can kill.  The inconvenience a person might feel who really wants to eat that Reese's Peanut butter cup pales in comparison to the fear of what it must feel like to have an allergic reaction to those foods.

There are people who say that individuals, like my son, simply have to take great risks when using public transportation.  I have to say that I strongly disagree.  We can minimize these risks so easily.  So why should we be castigated by the airlines for trying to do so.

I have since been reading online and speaking to other parents with allergic children and am shocked to hear so many similar stories.  It seems like parents of children with food allergies are being "bullied" by the airlines.  I have been told about families that have been refused entry on a plane just for informing the crew their child has an allergy.  So if you inform the crew you
run the risk of being thrown off.  There are also many parents I have talked to that just feel completely terrified every time they fly (especially on United).  Funnily, United has just started a campaign using the old slogan "fly the friendly skies".  I think its time that they were exposed for the "unfriendly skies" that families with allergic children and adults with food allergies face.  Not only is the environment unfriendly but the staff is rude, unsympathetic and downright mean spirited.  Jet blue and possibly Delta by contrast will make an announcement and will create a buffer zone to keep your child safe.  They are empathetic and have always taken my son's allergy seriously.  So there is a kind and safer way to behave and create safer flying policies.  United would do well to emulate them.

A change needs to happen.  Children and adults with life threatening allergies need protection.  We are being "bullied".

The Perrin Post also published a story about this incident.  Read the story here.

Sign this Petition Requiring Airlines to Institute a
Customers Bill of Rights for Children and Adults Flying with Food.

We talked about the social impact of food allergies at the Mylan Blogger Summit in New York City.  I enjoyed hearing Dr. Ruchi Gupta's presentation on this subject as well as seeing her slides that she presented.  She has been so kind to share these with our group.

The social impact is huge on your child when it comes to their safety and well-being.  It is so critical to have friends in their lives that care about them and understand their food allergies.  Having peer support keeps your child from feeling different and this means less risk taking and less bullying by others.  

The social impact also affects the entire family.  This can be when dealing with anyone you and your family interacts with on a daily basis.  It can be family, neighbors, friends, schools and anything involving social activities.  It can be hard getting others to really understand and accept your daily challenges.  So it is so important to have people in your life that want to understand and be there for you and your family.  

I came across a good article called "Social Consequences of Food Allergy" written by Catharine Alvarez.  It is a good read and she references an article about a study that was published in Pediatrics called "Child and Parental Reports of Bullying in a Consecutive Sample of Children With Food Allergy."  If you get a chance then I would check out both articles.

Please see the below slides courtesy of Dr. Ruchi Gupta:

I disclose in any communication made by me about Epipen (epinephrine) Auto-Injector and/or the Mylan Specialty Blogger Summit that such communication is at my own discretion and based on my own opinion.  I also
disclose that my travel expenses were compensated by Mylan Specialty in exchange for evaluation and feedback on information presented during the meeting.

From Amanda's Own Confections: It's finally here, our Sunbutter Cups!!  They are made in our facility on dedicated equipment so you are assured they are free from the top 8 food allergens and NO chance for any cross contamination. We have combined our rich and creamy chocolate with sweet and smooth sunbutter to create a fantastic tasting sunbutter cup that we know you and your family will love!  There are 2 sunbutter cups per package. 

Ingredients: Cane sugar, unsweetened chocolate,
cocoa butter(non-dairy),
sunflower seeds, sugar, mono-diglycerides
(emulsifier/assists in blending
ingredients together), salt, natural mixed
tocopherols(vitamin E). Net wt 2 oz.

My Food Allergy Friends is a series of books geared towards educating young children about food allergies.  There are currently two books available to purchase online and a third coming soon.  The books are bright and colorful and offer a lot of ways to interact with your child while reading to them.  To learn more about the books, please visit this website.  

Jackie Nevard is a mother of two boys, one is 10 and the other is 4 & 1/2 years old.  Her youngest son, Thai, was first diagnosed with seven food allergies and he has out grown four of them.  Thai is now allergic to egg, dairy and peanuts.  No one else in their family has food allergies, but Jackie's husband and her oldest son have allergies to grass.  Her husband is also allergic to the medication Amoxicillin and Jackie is allergic to anesthetic medications.  

Jackie was born in England and had a passion for traveling.  After traveling the world three times, Jackie settled in New Zealand, married and had her first child.  A few years later, Jackie and her family moved to Australia, where Thai was born.  

When Thai was nine months old, he was diagnosed with a milk allergy.  After the diagnosis, Jackie started educating Thai and the family about his food allergies.  When Thai was 18 months old, Jackie turned to books to help with this, but she had trouble finding books that she could use to hold Thai's attention.  They all seemed to be a little too long for a young child.  This is what motivated Jackie to write her first book and from there she decided to start a children's book series called "My Food Allergy Friends."  Jackie wants to help other families and children learn about their food allergies through these educational and fun children's books.  To purchase a book for your child, please visit Food Allergy Friends.
 

I attended the 2013 Mylan Blogger Summit in New York City.  This is my second year being invited and I must say that it was just as exciting and informative as the first.  My favorite part of being back was reuniting with some of my fellow food allergy bloggers and meeting new faces from some of the best food allergy foundations out there.  I also really enjoyed seeing my friends from Mylan.  I really consider those ladies my friends and they truly care about our families and us.  Dr. Ruchi Gupta was also there.  I have so much respect for this lady.  She is a great physician as well as a food allergy mom.  She not only gets it, she has mutual respect for all of us food allergy moms.  Being surrounded by all of these amazing people is such a great feeling.  I have a lifelong bond with these women. 

I learned so much at the Summit and I look forward to sharing some of the information in many upcoming blog posts and facebook posts.  I encourage you to follow some of the bloggers below.  I will also share their blogs on our facebook community page. 

I disclose in any communication made by me about Epipen (epinephrine) Auto-Injector and/or the Mylan Specialty Blogger Summit that such communication is at my own discretion and based on my own opinion.  I also disclose that my travel expenses were compensated by Mylan Specialty in exchange for evaluation and feedback on information presented during the meeting.

My parents told me there was a time when you could smoke inside hospitals, even in the maternity ward.  This sounds crazy to most, but that is how it used to be.  You could smoke at your desk, in restaurants, airplanes, schools, etc.  Studies show that second hand smoke can cause cancer, which can lead to death.  So why is it so absurd that I ask you to refrain from eating anything containing peanuts and tree nuts around my child?  I am not asking to ban peanuts and tree nuts everywhere, but if there are bans in certain areas then why can't people accept it?  How is this different from a smoking ban in public places?  Some people may not like the smoking bans, but they have accepted it.  I don't see people fighting and protesting for their so-called "smoking rights" in these places.  Is it because we have all lost someone to cancer?  Is this why it is ok to ask you not to blow smoke in my face?  Do we really need more deaths to show how serious food allergies are? 

Yes, I know my child's world will never be completely peanut and nut free or smoke free, but why is it so ridiculous to some that I do not want my son around his food allergens?  Shouldn't we all want to protect our children from any harm whether it is severe or minor?  Is it really necessary for me to prove to you that my son is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts?  Do you really want to see him have an allergic reaction?  Here, let me show you how my son's eyes swell shut when he comes into contact with peanut butter.  Really?  I am over people looking at me like I am the crazy one. How would you feel if I come to a children's play place smoking cigarettes and carrying a gun?  Would you and your child feel uncomfortable?  Just a tad bit?  Hmmmmmmm.  So stop looking at me like I am the crazy one.  You are for not understanding.      

Non-food allergic parents also need to stop telling me to home school my child.  I have a better solution.... If nuts are not banned from your child's school then I think all of the kids that choose to pack peanut and nuts for lunch can sit at a designated table for them.  After all, they have a choice as to whether or not they want to pack peanuts or nuts.  My child doesn't have a choice because his food allergy is a serious medical condition.  So instead of excluding and isolating my child at the peanut and nut free table, I think kids packing peanuts and nuts can sit at a table strictly for those choosing to pack that for lunch. And if you don't like it then maybe you should home school your child.  How does this sound to you?  Well, it doesn't go over well with me either.  Guess what, my child has a right to attend school just like any other child with or without a disability.  And in case you didn't know this food allergies are considered a disability under section 504 of the rehabilitation act.  So your child not being able to pack a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is not considered a violation of your rights.  In these situations, the only rights being violated here are the rights of the food allergic child.     

If you are a food allergic parent, there are a few statements that come across as being really insensitive and just plain annoying.  One being, "What is the big deal, your child has a couple hives."  "When I was a kid I used to get hives from X, Y and Z."  Hey, not the same thing!  These hives can be a sign of a life threatening reaction called anaphylaxis, which can lead to death.  But unlike cancer, anaphylaxis can move and spread rapidly and kill instantly.  

If you are a non-food allergic parent and someone asks you to make a very minor sacrifice to keep his or her loved one safe, what would you do?  I would hope that you could understand and be willing to help out.  Wouldn't you want the same for your child if they were the one with the food allergy?  I would hope so.  I am not saying that a peanut and nut ban is the solution, but I do think people need to be more understanding and willing to protect any child with any kind of food allergy.