Looking Back!

May was a very busy month for HFAN! As we wrap up "Food Allergy Awareness Month", Houston Food Allergy Network also celebrates a 1 year anniversary! We want to thank everyone that has contributed, read, glanced, liked, and shared HFAN's Blog and Facebook page. For those of you who haven't had a chance to read about how HFAN came into existence, here is a link to our very first post "Welcome All".

How did you bring awareness to "Food Allergies" this month?
We were ecstatic when we found out that FARE had themed "Food Allergy Month" as "Action Hero Month". The theme was fun, and most importantly very empowering for our kiddos. As Nut Eggactly mom shared in her post "Thank You", our "Food Allergy Awareness" week was Action Hero Packed with goodies, crafts and kind deeds. We kicked off the week with bringing community awareness. Our kiddos and a few parents passed out some "Allergen Free & Nut Free" snacks during the morning drop off. "You can S.A.V.E the Day" posters from the FARE website were posted throughout the school campus. We brought awareness to the classroom by sharing the BugaBees with the pre-school students. For the elementary and middle school grades we invited a guest speaker from Texas Children's Hospital Department of Immunology, Allergy and Rheumatology who gave a presentation on food allergy facts and shared an excellent kid friendly video, Kids Living with Food Allergies. We even managed to squeeze in a school wide fundraising event and raised over $300 for FARE. 

Overall it was a great week! I hope that our efforts will continue to have an impact in our community and make our school safer for our kiddos and for those families who will come behind us.

As we wrap up "Food Allergy Awareness Month" I would like to close with a
Thank you to:
the dad that shared with my son how yummy the "allergy free" treats were...
the mom who suggested a "peanut allergy friendly" restaurant as a gathering place...
the teacher who suggested that we use the same cupcake wrapper as the rest of the students so our kids wouldn't feel left out...
the dad that admitted that he thought "dairy allergy" was the same as "lactose intolerant" and took the time to understand what it actually meant...
the mom who gave me the coolest insulated bag for mothers day, it has made it so much easier to transport food wherever we go...
the student who told his parents that he didn't want to pack food that could make his friend sick...

I take comfort in knowing that some impact is better than no impact at all.

We hope that you can join us at our next meeting! 

Dairy Allergy Mom

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Thank You!

Skeeter Nut Free products can now be found at Central Market on Westheimer Road

Many thanks to Skeeter Nut Free and Enjoy Life for supplying samples for Food Allergy Awareness Week!  Your samples will be used to fill 60 food allergy awareness bags and remaining samples will passed out to parents during morning drop-off.  Dairy Allergy Mom and myself are grateful for your generosity.  Because of you, our efforts to raise awareness are made easier and sweeter!  Thank you.

Food allergy awareness bags: "I'm Fighting Food Allergies"

Products in the awareness bags

Take Action!

In celebration of Food Allergy Awareness Month, below is an opportunity to take action.  

The Epinephrine Bill, HB 2847 (Rep. Crownover) is now before the Texas House and will be up for a vote this Friday, May 8.

 

Please contact your Texas House Representative IMMEDIATELY to urge passage of HB 2847 on Friday.  Please contact your representative by both phone and email, if possible.  Please cite both the number (HB2847) and the author (Rep. Crownover) of the bill.

 

You can find the contact info for your Texas House Representative at this link:  http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/mnuAddress.aspx

 

Thank you in advance for your help in passing this important legislation.

 

***Upcoming Event** Food Allergy Awareness Week, May 10-16, 2015

SUPERHEROES UNITE TO FIGHT FOOD ALLERGIES!  

Courtesy of FARE

Are you ready for the challenge? 

Join Dairy Allergy mom and myself on Monday, May 4, 2015, as we discuss various ways to take action during Food Allergy Action Month, May 2015.

Food Allergy Awareness Week Proclamation 2015

I was delighted when I received this proclamation in the mail a couple of weeks ago.  You can get one too by visiting www.foodallergy.org, highlight the Tools & Resources tab, locate the Awareness Programs heading from the dropdown menu, then click on Food Allergy Awareness Week.  Here you will find the Request A Proclamation button.  Find your state and get started raising awareness.

For additional suggestions and ideas on how to get involved with raising awareness, click on the Take Action button.  Chances are good that you are already doing something to educate and inspire others about food allergies!

Thinking about summer camp?

When you have kids and are trying to figure out summer plans in the late winter/early spring, you are sort of catapulted straight into summertime.  Living in a large city like Houston, fortunately, there are many options for summer camps.  With that said, the field is narrowed by food allergies.  There is a lot to consider when deciding to send your child to camp.  My husband and I did not grow up going to summer camp so this was new territory for us.  How do you know which camp is right when your child has food allergies?  The questions started flowing and my mind started roaming.  We decided that the camp had to be close to our home, not far from a hospital, a staff knowledgable and comfortable with food allergies/using an epi pen and a staff receptive to my questions (I always have ALOT)!

I am a planner and find comfort in checking off my checklists (I might be a bit OCD:)), I wanted to share my mini camp checklist.  Here are some questions to consider when planning a safe and fun summer camp experience for your child:

1.  What is your child into right now (ie. LEGO's, princesses, learning a foreign language, creative writing, art, sports, etc...).

2. Are you or your child interested in a full day or a half day of camp?  Will your child be eating a snack/lunch during their stay?

3. What is your budget?

4. Contact camp director to schedule a pre-camp meeting to discuss your child's food allergies and plan. This is a good time to bring your child's action plan with their picture attached and emergency kit(s) to review with nurse, counselor, etc.

5. Can the camp adequately meet your child's health needs?  Do you feel comfortable with the camp and the counselor?

6. Will the counselor carry the epi pens/emergency kit if child too young to carry epi pen?

7. Is there a nurse available during camp hours?

8. Prepare your child (age appropriate)---wear food allergy bracelet, label ALL food items, including drinks, do not share food, save all edible rewards from camp until a parent/guardian can double check the ingredients, wash hands before and after snack and meals.

Our son (allergic to tree nuts, peanuts, and sesame') has attended week long camps at the Houston Arboretum, Duchesne's Dash Into Summer, and KidVenture.  I know it is a small sample but it has been a good start.  We have many positive comments about all of these camps and their staff.

Below is some useful information regarding summer camps mentioned:

Houston Arboretum 2015 Nature Camps
www.houstonarboretum.org

Dash Into Summer/Duchesne Academy 
Sarah Baker--Director of DASH 
www.duchesne.org/summer

KiDVENTURE
www.kidventure.com


Please share any camp experiences you may have.  Also, our April 2015 meeting will be brainstorming and planning Food Allergy Awareness Week/May 2015!  Hope to see you there!

Support SB 66

Hello friends.  The time is now for our voices to be heard in support of stocking epinephrine auto-injectors in our TX schools!  Below is the email from FARE requesting support for SB 66.  If you do not want to become a member of FARE, please read the email sent from Dr. Carla Davis of Texas Children's Hospital, director of TCH Food Allergy Program.

Dear Friends of FARE in Texas:

A bill has been introduced in the Texas legislature that would require all public and open-enrollment charter schools to maintain a supply of undesignated epinephrine auto-injectors for use in emergencies. 

This bill, SB 66, will be heard on the morning of Thursday, March 12 by the state Senate Education Committee. We would like your help in encouraging committee members to vote in favor of this bill. You may visit the FARE Action Center and click on the Texas alert to send a message directly to Education Committee members. If you are not already a member of FARE’s Advocates Network please register first. We ask you to do this at your earliest convenience. You can read the bill language here. 

Please share this email with other food allergy families across Texas. Also, please let us know if you have any questions. You may contact me at jjobrack@foodallergy.org.



Sincerely, 

Jennifer Jobrack


National Director of Advocacy


Food Allergy Research & Education

From: Davis, Carla M 
Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2015 12:40 PM
To: IAR
Subject: Epinephrine in Texas Schools – Your Help Is Needed!

Dear All,

I am asking for your help. Senate Bill 66 has been introduced in the Texas legislature that would require all public and open-enrollment charter schools to maintain a supply of undesignated epinephrine auto-injectors for use in emergencies. Children with food and insect allergy are at increased risk.

On September 12, 2013 a middle school student athlete named Cameron Espinoza (Jersey #66)  in Corpus Christi, Texas was stung by fire ants on a school football field while participating in a school sponsored football game.  He immediately developed a severe systemic allergic reaction and no epinephrine was available until EMS arrived.  During the delay, the child went into shock and respiratory failure.  He died four days later.  Had he received immediate treatment with epinephrine at the football field, his likelihood of survival would have dramatically improved.

PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BILL by sending a message to the Texas Education Committee who will hear the bill on Thursday. (See below.) PLEASE click the link below, personalize the letter and send, or, if you do not want to register with FARE, personalize and send the attached letter to your own senator and representative. If you do not know who this is, please click the following link: http://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/

Thank you in advance for considering this request.

Sincerely,

Carla

Carla M. Davis, MD

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Director, Texas Children's Hospital Food Allergy Program