Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

Allergy Mom Destined to make a difference for Her Kids

Newport Liberty Half Marathon Jersey City, NJ  •  Sunday, September 22, 2013 

To my Dear Family and Friends that are reading this ... Im sure by now you are well aware that I am a mom of two beautiful children with severe anaphylactic food allergies. The simple pleasures of drinking milk, or eating eggs, peanuts or even butter have a whole new meaning in our household. Our lives drastically changed when I gave my daughter baby yogurt for the first time.  Right before my eyes within minutes I saw a 10 month old baby girl go into an anaphylaxis shock. For those of you that do not know what this means, picture a child swell up like a balloon into hives and in minutes begin coughing gasping for air.  What does this feel like? If you are a parent, picture your heart literally stop before your eyes and you have not a clue on what is going on... All you do is RUSH  to the emergency room for help. I swear, I still thank God above that He was with me in the car as I drove to the emergency room. Because of Him, we arrived in one piece and in time before her throat was officially closed.  Upon entering into the hospital all I can vividly remember two needles being injected into her little thighs, the EPIPENS. The medicine that literally saved her life. I held my daughter as she gasped for air crying. Literally witnessing metamorphisis as she came back to her beautiful blue eyed self. All I could do as a mother is hold her as our tears became one flowing stream. It was at that moment the doctor said, its time to pay a visit to the pediatric allergist. “Mia is allergic to Dairy”.

 Who would have thought that a baby yogurt would have changed our lives so drastically.

The reality is that six million children in America live with food allergies today. For us adults food allergies are pretty new to us. I can assure you that most of us never grew up with a friend or sibling with food allergies. This unfamiliarity leads great misunderstandings about food allergies.  Unless you are a mom or dad that has experienced such sensitive incidents, you cant fully comprehend its severity. There's a great deal of mental reconditioning and a real shift in thinking that needs to happen for us adults to truly understand.  No its not lactose intolerance. Its life-threatening and in seconds life can change if we are not educated and aware.

I knew God was telling me something when I was blessed with yet another extraordinary child. My son Maximus. He was not only as amazing as my daughter but IDENTICAL with the  exact food allergies. I knew the moment the pediatric allergist said , “they might as well be twins”… is when life was about to change for us at home.

I took a deep look into the mirror and was starring at a different woman looking back. I was an ALLERGY MOM. And it was at that very moment that I never looked back to my old life. I made the decision to dedicate my life to my children as any parent would, but this was different. This was a dedication to make sure that they will live everyday as NORMAL, HEALTHY,  HAPPY and ALLERGY FREE as any other child. It was the best decision of my life.   Many know me as an extremist. Indeed I am. But it is my duty as a mother to teach a soon to be 3 year old on how to live with her food allergies. So far, Its remarkable to hear her explain how she cannot drink cows milk because it will cause an emergency. Or hear her scream, “mommy we forgot my allergy bracelet” and turn the car around because its our duty to wear it at all times. She amazes me every day. Maybe it’s the countless times we read “Cody the allergic cow”, or the countless times I have rigged the Melissa & Doug Milk carton to say RICE MILK or ALMOND MILK. What ever it takes to make my kids safe.  Lord knows , I can recite you 37 different words that mean milk on ingredient labels.  Or the difference between sodium lactate and potassium lactate....Its crazy how life has changed :) 

As an allergy mom, I have laid awake at night, wondering if I will be able to spot the signs of our child's throat closing. I have been thoroughly trained the hard way that anaphylaxis can happen in less than two minutes, but more importantly, will my daughter’s future teacher be able to identify this emergency? Or will my daughter or son be able to explain how they are feeling by accidentally eating another childs goldfish. I pray these incidents will never happen. But as an allergy mom, that’s all we can do…EDUCATE, TEACH our kids but more importantly, PRAY. As an allergy mom, living in “closet anxiety” is an understatement.  A casual holiday family meal is not as calm as one would think. You see, we spend those meals replaying the emergency plan in our head while quietly observing our child's breathing as she enjoys her dairy free pizza.

Some may think this is very difficult to manage and that its hard. Yes it is at times, BUT we are grateful and humbled on how fortunate we are to be the parents of children with ONLY food allergies. While indeed it’s a life-threatening medical condition, it is manageable. And as long as we have help from our family & friends our children will be HAPPY, HEALTHY , SAFE & ALIVE. For this we are so GRATEFUL.

So yes, living with a constant threat is a lot for a 2 & 1 year old , but they will never be alone. ALLERGY MOM will do everything possible to make life seamless and happy.  So why not start by 13.1 miles?    They prove to me everyday how strong they can be. So I will proudly prove to them while wearing their allergy bracelet  that mommy can run in their honor.

So thank you for reading. Thank you for taking a moment to try to understand. And thank you for helping to keep all of our children safe by donating anything your heart desires. 

Six million children in America live with food allergies.  Kids With Food Allergies (KFA) educates families to prevent life threatening allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) and to be prepared to respond to allergic emergencies.  Educating families and communities is essential to saving children’s lives and keeping them safe and healthy.

With your help, we will educate, support and advocate on behalf of children. 

Your gift will make a difference for millions of children affected by this potentially life-threatening disease. Thank you for taking Strides for Safe Kids!
 

• Learn more about our Strides for Safe Kids Mall Walk & Expo