This was going to be a post about another near-miss food allergy experience Katherine had last night and she's fine but I'm angry and when are people going to understand and I realize that eternal vigilance is the price of food allergies but what can I do so that this doesn't keep happening at a church we've attended for five years and blah blah blah allergycakes.
Are you as tired of this as I am?
So. What I am going to say instead is "Thank You" to all of you. Thank you for reading and being supportive. Because of you, I did not just vent on my blog and leave it at that. I called the director this morning (a very hard thing for me to do) and told her how upset I was, and I will do the same thing at a meeting next week. Otherwise nothing will change.
Thanks for helping me find my voice.
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Good for you! And good luck next week.
ReplyDeleteI've said it before, but just reading your blog has made me 10x more aware of various food allergies (not just peanut) than I ever was before. You're doing a good thing here.
ReplyDeleteOh no, that's horrible. I'm glad that you're talking to the director about it though. Otherwise people will not know what happened, and not be aware of it. I feel bad for you that you have to deal with this, and people aren't even cautious about it. That stinks. Vent, vent away. We're here to listen and pat your back.
ReplyDeleteThat is horrible. And good that you talked to the director and will bring it up again next week. Some people just truly do not realize the implications of food allergies.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't get taken seriously until I just matter-of-factly explained that if they were going to continue to serve dairy products they would need to know her reaction to them (showed them photos of her reactions) AND made them learn how to use the epi-pen/benadryl dosing before calling 911. THAT got them straightened out real quick. And the fact that I had a friend, who went to the same place and was a lawyer, explain that they could be named in a lawsuit if something should happen.
I HATE that I have to be THAT mom, but no, I will not let you hurt my child. The director said she never knew you could be *allergic* to dairy. She thought it was just lactose intolerance the whole time and that I was blowing things out of proportion!
Sorry for the long post. I do feel for you- I have been right there with you.
Geez, people who don't take allergies seriously drive me NUTS. Really. I've had more people tell me that I'm just "mean" for not letting them sneak The Baby a cookie. Sure. Cuz she loves being sick.
ReplyDelete(your welcome!)
You're so brave! Way to go!
ReplyDeleteI think unless it directly affects them people are just too ignorant to fully pay attention and understand what you're telling them.
ReplyDeleteWe've gone to events where they had a number or person to let them know about allergies ahead of time. We've called ahead and done our job of letting them know Johnny is allergic to whey, and spell it for them.
You would THINK they would then research and read ingredients to make sure they're abiding by that.
But, I cannot tell you the percentage of times we go in and they bring out all these "gluten-free" things -- um how is a grain related product the same thing as a milk protein?!
Good for you, though! I'm very proud of you for calling because you've said before you're unconfrontational.
A little girl at my job yesterday came up to ask me if free suckers we give out were nut-free. I thought of you and Katherine - knowing that mother, too, must have educated her child of her allergies.
Good for you Sarah! I know I have said it before, but you are my hero. You are a superstar. :)
ReplyDeleteGood for you! Unless you cover it with them, they won't ever get it. I have a situation at school too and I'm trying to find the most tactful way to deal with it. Let me know how your meeting goes.
ReplyDeleteBlogger doesn't like me today. I just left a comment and it gave me some error message, so hopefully this won't post twice.
ReplyDeleteThe first time it really registered to me how bad food allergies can be was when a friend of mine with a peanut allergic child gave a presentation to some of the women in our church. She gave told us that her little boy did not have Leukemia, although that is horrible, he does have a chronic life threatening condition. She said there is no cure for the condition, and it really can take his life if they are not careful. She needed our help, and then she told us how we could help. She got a ton of support from people after that. I know I never understood food allergies until then, I just figured they causes rashes or whatever. Now, I deal with my own child and food allergies. I feel really blessed that she kind of prepared me for that.
Good luck!
People are jerks. And stupid. And I am angry on your behalf. It just shouldn't be this hard.
ReplyDeletei've mentioned before that my children are allergy free--yet i still read your blog because i think it provides an amazing service.
ReplyDeletebefore i was a reader here, i never realized that allergies can be really, really serious. i always just assumed they were "sensitivities".
you educate people.
On a lighter note: YOu just won a DVD giveaway on my blog. I e-mailed you too. I will need your address to send it to you. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteGood for you!!! And it is because of your voice that all of ours are heard. So thank you...we're all in this together!!!
ReplyDeleteGeez - it's ridiculous that it needs to keep coming to this. But you're doing the right thing. I hope you gave them heck! :)
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