|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Michigan Blog - Featuring Michigan Shopping, Travel, Business & PeopleMichigan Shopping, Deals and Coupons - People and community, Michigan Sports (as well as High School Sports), Traveling in the State of Michigan, Michigan Events and Michigan Business - all in one place.Tuesday, June 16, 2009 Summer Camps for Kids With Food Allergies- CLICK HERE!
 A Day In the Life Of A Child with Life Threatening Food Allergies Written by Carol Kalvelage- mother of child with anaphylaxsis dairy allery, along with egg and sulfa (medicine) allergy Here's the deal. Straight up- life threatening food allergies in children are becoming a public health concern. According to FAAN: The Food & Anaphylaxsis Network, more than 12 million Americans have food allergies. One in 25, or if you're a math whiz, 4% of the popluation. The incidence of food allergy is highest in young children- one in 17 among those under three. And, about 3 million children in the U.S. have food allergies. Those are the facts. Indisputable. However, as a parent of a 4 1/2 year old child with life threatening food allergies, I have come to learn that other parents are unaware of these statistics. And rightly so-- If I did not have a food allergic child, I don't think that I would know these stats either. Sure, most of us heard a version of the infamous "peanut kiss", which increased awareness, along with fear and panic, of the peanut allergy. However, when a dairy or gluten or wheat allergy is brought to the table, most people respond politely with an "Oh, yes......" and then fade away. Again, I do not blame the other people. I most likely would have had the same reaction. I personally do not believe that it is the other peoples job to delve into a deep discussion of my child's food allergies. I believe it is my responsiblity, as a parent of a food allergic child, to keep schools, caregivers, babysitter, family members, shop owners and anyone else who comes in contact with food, informed of my childs allergy. I hope as she gets older, she will do the same. However, it is extremely refreshing when someone else does take the time to discuss and take some action on their own, without my prodding, poking and hint dropping such as
I'm glad to be able to write that there are such places on this earth that are very aware of food allergies. A few of them happen to be in my city, Rochester Hills. KiddieKlub is one place that is allergy friendly and has an owner and staff dedicated to keeping all kids safe. KiddieKlub just went Peanut Free on June 15, and owner Jodi Partlo is taking part of the allergy movement by hosting an event on Friday, June 19 that will help benefit FAAN. I am an advocate of the KiddieKlub not just because I work with Jodi and her staff, but also because I have single handedly watched this woman build a childcare and entertainment complex that has virtually everything that a parent would wish for in a state of the art childcare center. KiddieKlub just celebrated its one year anniversary at the end of April, and its clients rave about the quality of care. Summer camps are being held weekly at KiddieKlub- please visit website for more information. In addition to KiddieKlub's summer camps, I recently discovered that the RARA's Camp Rocky Road counselor went above and beyond the call of duty for food allergies. Imagine their surprise when I pulled in yesterday with my daughter, her camp bag (for all of 4 hours) and the following kit I take with me everywhere:
I breathlessley ran into the building, gave them my standard 5 minute explanation of dairy allergies, anaphylaxis, what could happen, what most likely won't happen,....... asked who administers medication, are they trained???? then, being satisfied with the answers and handing off of the allergy emergency kit saying "o.k. thanks....goodbye......she'll be fine." The camp counselor seemed a little frazzled at first, but then she was good. In fact, she was so good that she called ahead to Cooks Dairy Farm to find out about how they handle dairy allergic children that visit on field trips. ( I may have forgot to mention that my daughters camp field trip is to Cooks Dairy Farm.. only me). When I picked up my daughter today at camp, the counselor told me that she called Cooks and that they have popsicles available for dairy allergic kids. I almost cried. Seriously, when someone takes the time to help your child like that, I get weepy and remember that there are angels on earth. So, living with life threatening food allergies is difficult, but doable. A little--- no really, a lot of perserverance, alot of advocacy, alot of information, alot of worry and anxiety.....and places like KiddieKlub, RARA, and Cooks Dairy Farm help me and my daugher find a way to have fun, enjoy life and keep provide a safe haven for kids who have life threatening conditions. |
Previous Posts
Subscribe to
|
Contact | About | Privacy | Categories | Michigan Hotels & Motels | RSS Feeds | Michigan Wedding Guide |
