Having a child with life-threatening allergies isn't something a parent typically gives a second thought to ... until it happens to them.
I am speaking from personal experience. Food allergies do not run in my family and my first born ate everything without any issues. When my second son was born, we found out about life-threatening food allergies the hard way.
Just before he turned two, he was given peanut butter for the first time. Within minutes, he started going into anaphylactic shock. After giving him oral allergy medicine and calling 911, we arrived at the hospital by ambulance where he was given not one, but two doses of epinephrine along with steroids and breathing treatments to get his reaction under control. After being admitted into the PICU overnight for further monitoring, we were able to go home the next afternoon. On that day in June of 2009, our lives were forever changed.
My son is now 8 years old. He is allergic to peanuts and most tree nuts, we know his peanut allergy is so severe that accidentally ingesting even 1/100th of a single peanut will send his body into anaphylactic shock and land him in the hospital, or possibly worse. Keeping him "safe" takes extra care. I do not purchase anything without triple-checking the label first. There are only a handful of restaurants that we feel "safe" taking him to and bakeries are out of the question. Things that most don't have to think twice about like having dinner at a friend's house, birthday parties, sporting events and vacations, just to name a few - take a lot of extra work and planning to make sure he is safe and never feels left out.
I do my best to help everyone around him understand how to keep him safe; preparing caregivers, teachers, friends and other family members is key. We have been so lucky to have so many understanding, caring and helpful people along side us in this journey. But even then, there is still that risk... a risk we will live with every single day of his life.
In an effort to drive a national movement about the unpredictable nature of anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction, Mylan has joined leading advocacy organizations to launch Anaphylaxis: For Reel™ during Food Allergy Action Month.
This initiative calls on young filmmakers and their families to create and submit short films about the realities of managing potentially life-threatening allergies. A panel of judges will come together to select five films to be featured at a premiere event in New York City this fall and posted on Anaphylaxis101.com. Actor, producer and businesswoman, Sarah Jessica Parker, who has a child with food allergies, is also helping bring awareness to severe allergies and will attend the premiere event. Young filmmakers and their families will be invited to upload their films and learn more about Sarah Jessica’s story by visiting Anaphylaxis101.com.
With up to 43 million people at risk for anaphylaxis, Dr. Sharma and Sarah Jessica Parker want to shine a spotlight on the importance of avoiding allergic triggers, recognizing the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis and immediately responding with epinephrine, the first-line treatment, if a life-threatening allergic reaction occurs.
I'm grateful for the work they are doing to bring awareness to this issue. It is this kind of advocacy work that will help to keep my son, and millions of others, safe.
Just before he turned two, he was given peanut butter for the first time. Within minutes, he started going into anaphylactic shock. After giving him oral allergy medicine and calling 911, we arrived at the hospital by ambulance where he was given not one, but two doses of epinephrine along with steroids and breathing treatments to get his reaction under control. After being admitted into the PICU overnight for further monitoring, we were able to go home the next afternoon. On that day in June of 2009, our lives were forever changed.
My son is now 8 years old. He is allergic to peanuts and most tree nuts, we know his peanut allergy is so severe that accidentally ingesting even 1/100th of a single peanut will send his body into anaphylactic shock and land him in the hospital, or possibly worse. Keeping him "safe" takes extra care. I do not purchase anything without triple-checking the label first. There are only a handful of restaurants that we feel "safe" taking him to and bakeries are out of the question. Things that most don't have to think twice about like having dinner at a friend's house, birthday parties, sporting events and vacations, just to name a few - take a lot of extra work and planning to make sure he is safe and never feels left out.
I do my best to help everyone around him understand how to keep him safe; preparing caregivers, teachers, friends and other family members is key. We have been so lucky to have so many understanding, caring and helpful people along side us in this journey. But even then, there is still that risk... a risk we will live with every single day of his life.
In an effort to drive a national movement about the unpredictable nature of anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction, Mylan has joined leading advocacy organizations to launch Anaphylaxis: For Reel™ during Food Allergy Action Month.
This initiative calls on young filmmakers and their families to create and submit short films about the realities of managing potentially life-threatening allergies. A panel of judges will come together to select five films to be featured at a premiere event in New York City this fall and posted on Anaphylaxis101.com. Actor, producer and businesswoman, Sarah Jessica Parker, who has a child with food allergies, is also helping bring awareness to severe allergies and will attend the premiere event. Young filmmakers and their families will be invited to upload their films and learn more about Sarah Jessica’s story by visiting Anaphylaxis101.com.
With up to 43 million people at risk for anaphylaxis, Dr. Sharma and Sarah Jessica Parker want to shine a spotlight on the importance of avoiding allergic triggers, recognizing the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis and immediately responding with epinephrine, the first-line treatment, if a life-threatening allergic reaction occurs.
I'm grateful for the work they are doing to bring awareness to this issue. It is this kind of advocacy work that will help to keep my son, and millions of others, safe.
