Posted by Eleanor Garrow |
One thing I enjoy the most about our events is meeting all of you, getting the opportunity to hear your stories, and answering any questions that you may have. I was once that parent of a child newly diagnosed with food allergy, and I needed help and support. I was once that parent saying “why my child?” I wondered how to manage, what to do about school, and whether my child would be the victim of bullying. I searched for good recipes that we would actually like and still be safe for my child, and I constantly asked myself whether researchers were close to finding a cure for food allergies. Today I still have questions and FAAN is still a lifeline for my family and me.
FAAN events are designed to bring families together to connect with one another. One of my favorite events is the Teen Summit. Later this month, FAAN’s Sixth Annual Teen Summit is coming to the Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington, VA. We are very excited for a fun-filled weekend, Nov. 18-20, for teens and siblings, ages 11-22, and their parents, as we have many great speakers scheduled throughout the weekend. I have been involved with Teen Summit for three years now, and it has definitely become one of the events I enjoy most.
Including siblings last year and again this year was something very important to me. I have one child with multiple life-threatening food allergies, eosinophilic esophagitis, and asthma, and I have one child without any food allergies. Not only is it important for the teens to meet other teens just like them, who share the same conditions, but it is also important for siblings to meet other siblings, because they are just as affected and advocate for their brothers and sisters. The parents get the opportunity to meet other parents who have a mutual bond and create new friendships. It is important to make the weekend one in which other family members can participate.
Teen Summit is such an inspirational and empowering weekend for everyone involved. Everyone leaves with new friendships (and old ones from previous years, as many return each year), a sense of empowerment, and the feeling of knowing they are not alone. I know when my children, Thomas and Anne, are old enough to attend Teen Summit, we will be thankful to experience this event together as a family. There is still time to sign up, so please visit www.foodallergyevents.org to register today.
On another note, FAAN’s Annual Food Allergy Conferences have been scheduled for 2012. We look forward to another exciting year of conferences filled with wonderful speakers, topics, and breakout sessions, along with a separate, fun-filled and educational day for the teens, ages 11-18. I am pleased to announce that we will be holding our conferences in:
- Oak Brook, IL on March 31,
- Tarrytown, NY on April 28, and
- Anaheim, CA on June 9.
More information regarding registration will be posted on our website before the end of the year. So, start planning now and mark your calendars for 2012. I would love to see you all there!
Posted by Julie Fanning |
Autumn is a busy time in my household. We are known as the “Halloween House” in our neighborhood, even among the new people we meet at community cookouts and get-togethers throughout the year. For the past six years or so my husband, John, and I have set up the “Windy Hill Cemetery,” and it comes fully alive Halloween night. John is the mastermind behind most of the props; we’ve built tombstones, caskets, animated and talking skeletons and ghosts, faux-painted columns and mausoleum façades, and we've installed professional-grade foggers, lighting and staked dead trees into the ground. You name it, we’ve probably built it or bought it. We have all of the old-school, Hollywood scariness, but no gore.
I got to thinking about the kids who can’t enjoy some—or most—of what they get in their sacks after trick-or-treating. I saw this first-hand about eight years ago when my nephew, Jack, was diagnosed with allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, soy, wheat, gluten, oats, corn, legumes, tomatoes … the list was extensive. For Halloween, Easter, and other holidays that focus on food and candies, we had to get Jack non-food treats. He felt left out and different. Then I came to work at the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN™), and I saw how many more children and adults have food allergies and what FAAN is doing to help.
John and I decided to raise awareness and raise some funds to help those with food allergies by collecting donations for FAAN at our haunt this year.
Trick-or-treaters will have a choice of food allergy-friendly candy, “standard” chocolate candy, or non-food treats. After promoting Windy Hill on our neighborhood’s Facebook page, I’ve already gotten messages from people who are thankful we are doing this since they personally have food allergies or their child does.
Jack is almost 10 years old now, and he has outgrown most – but not all – of his food allergies. I am still extremely cautious about everything he puts into his mouth when he’s at my house. I also am cognizant of my friends’ children and their food allergies when they come to visit. At least on Halloween night I know there will be no children who feel left out.
For more information on our haunt (located in Northern Virginia) and to see photos, please visit windyhillhaunt.com. If you live locally and would like to help, or if you have questions, please contact me at jfanning@foodallergy.org. You can also make a donation to FAAN online.
Posted by Julie Forrest |
Walk season is almost here, and that means I am going on some road trips!
This fall I will travel to numerous Walks between August and December, visiting cities all across the country, starting with Buffalo, NY on August 13. There are more than 40 Walks this year, with as many as six in one weekend, and I get the honor of working with committed volunteers nationwide.
Across the country, FAAN staff and volunteers are getting excited for the Walks. The first Walk of the year was held in Newark, DE on May 14 and raised more than $15,000. Kudos to Aleasa Word for all of her hard work and dedication!
We have 40 more Walks, and thanks in large part to our national sponsors, we have already reached 10% of our fundraising goal of $3 million. This includes:
I’ve been chairing the Walk in Ridgewood, NJ since, 2005 and then joined FAAN as the Director of Walks last August.
On July 12, I will be in Hamburg, NJ – not for a Walk, but for the FAAN Golf Classic at Ballyowen Golf Course. Less than a week later I’ll head north to Port Jefferson, NY for our second Golf Classic of the year at the Port Jefferson Country Club on July 18. Thank you to Al Sadowski and Tina Martirano for planning these great events!
If you are in the area or you want an excuse to visit, we hope that you break out your clubs and join us. You can register for both FAAN Golf Classics at www.foodallergyevents.org.
I love being able to connect with the food allergy community when I travel for FAAN events. FAAN is more than just a job for me; I am also a longtime member, volunteer, and a food allergy mom. I have an 11-year-old son with life-threatening food allergies to peanuts, tree nuts and all legumes. Max is my motivation.
I’m looking forward to a very exciting and fun-filled Walk season, so if you haven’t done so already, please visit www.foodallergywalk.org to register or donate today!
Posted by Eleanor Garrow |
Our first 2011 Food Allergy Conference in Baltimore on April 2 was a great success, with more than 200 people in attendance.
Robert Wood, M.D., spoke about food allergy management and expressed optimism about current research, Eyal Shemesh, M.D., discussed the developmental stages of living with food allergies, and life coach and author Gina Clowes (One of the Gang) gave attendees tips about parenting a child with food allergies.
There were also sessions from FAAN experts about advocacy issues, sending your child to school with food allergies, and living with food 
allergies as an adult. FAAN Ambassador Who Cares and cookbook author Cybele Pascal (Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook) presented an allergen-friendly cooking workshop to a packed house, and teens enjoyed an entire day of sessions tailored to their age group. Sloane Miller, L.M.S.W., food allergy coach and author (Allergic Girl), along with Clowes, Pascal, and author Elizabeth Gordon (Allergy-Free Desserts) also signed copies of their books. In sum, it was a great day, full of education and bonding.
It is wonderful to see new and familiar faces each year at our conferences. It is very heartwarming to hear how FAAN has helped so many of our families, and knowing that I helped just one person makes my job all the more worth it.
We also had the opportunity to honor several winners of our 15th Annual Mariel C. Furlong Awards for Making a Difference and one of the recipients of the Third Annual Grandparent Awards who were in attendance. They were:
- Richard Wachs, M.D. (MCF Award – health professional category)
- Lauren Eicher, R.N. (MCF Award - school category)
- Burke United Methodist Preschool (MCF Award - school category)
- Marie Pratt (MCF Award - school category)
- Paul Mennett (Grandparent Award)
Our Oak Brook conference on Saturday, April 16, will feature similar presentations, with cookbook 
author Kelly Rudnicki (The Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book) leading the allergen-friendly cooking workshop. Rudnicki and Clowes will be signing their books (copies will be available for purchase at the conference or you may bring your own copy). In Anaheim, Pascal and Clowes will be on hand to sign their books.
I hope to see you there! If you haven’t already done so, register for the conferences in Oak Brook, IL on April 16 and Anaheim, CA on June 11.
Posted by Jennifer Roeder |
It’s opening day for baseball today, with six games on the Major League Baseball schedule. Fans across the country will once again be rooting for their teams.
Many teams already have games planned with special accommodations for people with food allergies so that they can enjoy the fun. Here are a few of the games we have heard about so far:
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are reserving a section for people with peanut allergies to enjoy three of their games. All three games are nearly sold out, but FAAN has a few tickets available. Contact jforrest@foodallergy.org if you are interested.
- Sunday, May 1 vs. Seattle Mariners at 1:35 p.m.
- Sunday, June 5 vs. Oakland Athletics at 1:35 p.m.
- Sunday, Aug. 28 vs. Oakland Athletics at 1:35 p.m.
Seattle Mariners
For a number of years, the Mariners have also held peanut allergy-friendly games, including four in 2010. The designated seating area will be cleaned and checked just prior to the gates being opened. For more information about tickets, contact vbraun@foodallergy.org.
- Saturday, May 7 vs. Chicago White Sox at 6:10 p.m.
- Saturday, June 4 vs. Tampa Bay at 1:10 p.m.
- Thursday, July 14 vs. Texas Rangers at 7:10 p.m.
- Wednesday, Aug. 17 vs. Toronto Blue Jays at 7:10 p.m.
Hall of Fame broadcaster Dave Niehaus (the “voice of the Mariners” from 1977 to 2010) passed away last year. He had a relative with food allergies. The Mariners Team Stores will be selling Dave Niehaus Memorial Patches in his memory, and all proceeds will benefit FAAN. In addition, all of the Mariners players will be wearing the patch on the right sleeve of their uniforms this year.
Washington Nationals
The Nationals offer seating in a suite that is peanut-allergy friendly. Last year, the Nationals held three games featuring this special seating and they each sold out. For more information, contact lcannon@foodallergy.org.
- Saturday, June 18 vs. Baltimore Orioles at 1:05 p.m.
- Saturday, Aug. 20 vs. Philadelphia Phillies at 7:05 p.m.
- Sunday, July 31 vs. New York Mets at 1:35 p.m.
- Saturday, Sept. 24 vs. Atlanta Braves at 1:05 p.m.
Cleveland Indians
FAAN is working with the Cleveland Indians to plan multiple food allergy-friendly games that will allow food-allergic fans to enjoy a ballgame and support FAAN. If you are interested in these games, please contact jdominguez@foodallergy.org for details.
Have you heard about other games in your area? Post your comments below.
Posted by Julia Bradsher |
Greetings, and welcome to the first post of FAAN’s brand-new blog! In this section of our website, you’ll hear from various members of FAAN’s staff, who will share their perspective, experiences, and stories about food allergies and anaphylaxis. You’ll notice that the topics will usually fall into the areas of education, awareness, research and advocacy. This is not a coincidence, as those are the mission points that are at the crux of everything we do.
We’ve accomplished so much in our aim to make life simpler for families managing food allergies, and I’m excited to share with you our ambitious plans for the future. In 2011, the 20th anniversary of FAAN, we will continue to work diligently to educate the public about the severity of food allergy and provide the food allergy community with tools and programs that it deserves.
Next month, I’m pleased to report that FAAN will honor some very special individuals and corporations who have gone above and beyond on behalf of people with food allergies at the Los Angeles Honors Gala. Walt Disney Parks and Resorts (Corporate Leadership), Kristy Villa, host of “The Balancing Act” on Lifetime Television (Media), Campbell’s (Corporate Advocacy), Kendall Hollinger (Teen Hero), Brian Hom (Family Advocacy), and Melanie and Tom Staggs (Family Leadership), will be honored during this event on Feb. 10. Tickets are available through our Events website.
I’d also like to let you know about a great educational program that will be unveiled this year. FAAN was commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) to produce an instructional DVD to help schools and parents manage food allergies in the school setting. This video will be available on our website, and will likely be part of a larger DASH toolkit that can be used by schools across the nation to help manage students with food allergy.
Also in 2011, we will open Camp TAG (The Allergy Gang), a camp where kids with food allergies can just be kids. I’m really excited about this one-week camp, which will provide children with food allergies and their siblings with a safe environment to meet new friends, learn more about food allergies, and just have a lot of fun. The camp will be staffed with trained parent and teen counselors who “get it” when it comes to food allergies, and the curriculum for the camp has been approved by FAAN’s Medical Advisory Board.
In closing, we are very excited about our programs and initiatives for 2011. We welcome your feedback. Please call or write if we can be of help to you or your family.
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