Our Family's Mission of Awareness

By Arlene de Armas

When my son Leandro was 5 years old, I took him to a doctor for skin testing, already knowing that he was allergic to dogs. I suspected that he was also allergic to cats, and perhaps grass and pollens, because he was always stuffy. I was in shock and denial when I was told that he was severely allergic to peanuts and peas (a year later, we found out he also was allergic to tree nuts) and that it would be necessary for us to carry an epinephrine auto-injector at all times and to keep one at school in case of an emergency.

So many things made sense after his diagnosis, such as the fact that the eczema on Leandro’s body had suddenly cleared up after I had finally weaned him and he was no longer receiving traces of the foods that I was eating while nursing – and to which it turned out, he was allergic.  Little did I know the extent of my firstborn son’s intuition – he had graciously refused to try peanut butter and almond butter every time I offered it in all sorts of combinations. He also had insisted on having the peas removed from one of his favorite dishes, arroz con pollo (chicken and rice).

If I had only known what to look for. If only there could have been someone who recognized the signs and pointed them out to me. That is why it is so important to me to create awareness. Just recently, a friend who knows about Leandro's food allergies called me after giving her son peanut butter for the first time and witnessing hives all over his body after just a couple of bites.  She wanted to know what allergist I would recommend and what her next step should be (of course I referred her to the FAAN website!).

Creating awareness about food allergies is of the utmost importance to my family and me. It really isn’t so difficult to raise awareness. Simply explaining Leandro’s food allergies and the precautions we take to keep him safe to friends, family members, school, restaurant and grocery store personnel, and other community members, is usually enough to get them interested, aware and mindful.  

Leandro, who is now 7, views creating awareness of food allergies as an opportunity to “make this world a better place.” When he was voted the 2010 Heart of FAAN Child Ambassador earlier this year, it simply gave a title to his already innate calling. He already filmed a national public service announcement that will be airing this year. He will be participating in the Walk for Food Allergy in Coral Gables, Fla., in November, but wishes he could participate in every FAAN Walk in the country.

Here are a few things of which we should all be aware:

  • knowing about and understanding food allergies
  • knowing how to avoid a food to which a child/adult is allergic (reading all food labels, avoiding foods without ingredient labels, not sharing food, carrying a “chef’s card)
  • properly cleaning prep utensils and surfaces, and assuring the same steps are taken when dining out
  • recognizing the symptoms of someone who is suffering an allergic reaction, knowing when to call 911, and knowing when to administer antihistamine or epinephrine 


Creating this awareness is the first step! My family’s desire is to create enough awareness that will lead to research to ultimately find a cure.
 

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