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Families Do Their Part to Mark Food Allergy Awareness Week
Nevada Family Finds Creative Ways to Get Involved
FAIRFAX, Va. (Mar. 9, 2010) – For the last 12 years, members of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) have taken the opportunity during Food Allergy Awareness Week to educate others about the quite serious and often misunderstood nature of food allergies.
As the mother of two boys with food allergies, Dana Gordin has actively sought to raise awareness about food allergies so that her community understands the dangers that her sons Scott and Matthew could face if their teachers and peers are not careful about their allergies.
The 13th Annual Food Allergy Awareness Week (FAAW) will be celebrated this year from May 9-15. Gordin, of Henderson, Nev., participates in FAAW to bring a heightened consciousness about food allergies and anaphylaxis to her community and her sons’ school.
“I participate in FAAW because it's the perfect opportunity for me to make people aware that all food allergies can lead to a potentially deadly result, and most people don't realize this,” Gordin said. “FAAW is the perfect occasion to promote awareness about the issues surrounding this disease, which is desperately needed. That is why I'm a passionate advocate on this very
important subject.”
Scott, 13, is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish, while Matthew, 11, is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. Gordin works with Scott’s principal to incorporate several FAAW-related activities in school. Last year’s activities included:
- videotaping a skit about food allergies that was presented during the school’s morning announcements,
- selling buttons which promoted food allergy awareness. In fact, wearing the button on one day during FAAW gave students the perk of going to lunch a few minutes early, and
- displaying food allergy posters and statistics on the school walls.
“The skit really got everybody’s attention – because kids were in the skit, the students really connected with it,” Gordin said. “After we did FAAW, more and more kids started coming out and saying they had a food allergy too. They weren’t so concerned about sharing that with others.”
Getting the word out is crucial, Gordin said – not just for the benefit of her own children but for the many other children with food allergies who are already in school or will be entering school.
Unfortunately, in schools and communities nationwide, there is a general lack of awareness about food allergies. Raising awareness is one simple step toward improving the lives of children and individuals with food allergies.
“If every family touched by food allergies did one thing during FAAW to teach others about food allergies, these simple acts would lead to a much better and wider understanding of the challenges of avoiding reactions,” said Julia Bradsher, CEO of FAAN. “We hope to see many others engage in activities such as the ones the Gordin family undertook.”
For more information about FAAW, visit www.foodallergy.org.
About FAAN
Founded in 1991, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is the world leader in information about food allergy, a potentially life threatening medical condition that afflicts approximately 12 million Americans, or one out of every 25. A nonprofit organization based in Fairfax, Va., FAAN has approximately 25,000 members in the U.S., Canada, and 58 other countries. It is dedicated to increasing public awareness of food allergy and its consequences, to educating people about the condition, and to advancing research on behalf of all those affected by it. FAAN provides information and educational resources about food allergy to patients, their families, schools, health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, the food industry, and government officials. For more information, please visit FAAN at www.foodallergy.org, www.faankids.org, and www.faanteen.org.
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Direct: (703) 563-3061
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E-mail: jroeder@foodallergy.org
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