Fathers Day Weekend: Trials & Triumphs of a Peanut Allergy Dad

Being the daddy of a 4 year old little girl with a severe peanut allergy that's a topic that I throw into the mix when it comes to the things I post about on this blog. I'm honored that the national food allergy advocacy group FARE selected me to be the featured DAD on their special Fathers Day Weekend Blog post this year.  Here's a tidbit from the article:

What advice would you give to other dads with kids who have food allergies?
Speak up! Most people don’t understand the seriousness and complexity of severe food allergies. I have to say that I was clueless myself until our family was impacted. You need to be your child’s most vigilant advocate by educating everyone and being willing to say no to others when it presents a risk to your child. It’s not easy or comfortable having to constantly speak up to a teacher or other parents to require and enforce rules that safeguard your child, but if you don’t do it, no else is likely to stand up for you.

Food allergies don’t make life worse, they just make it different. We actually eat healthier now because we have more of a focus on our diet. Help your family make the best of the situation!

Studies show that moms and dads react differently to food allergies in their families.  In your experience is that the case?
My wife is definitely more active in researching information concerning my daughter’s food allergy than me. She is also more protective when it comes to restricting my daughter’s activities to limit her exposure to potentially dangerous situations. I don’t want my daughter to grow up in fear of her allergy, so I am more open to allowing her to go places and try things, as long as we take precautions to be safe.  I believe my wife and I do a nice job of balancing each other’s tendencies so that my daughter can experience a childhood that is both fun and safe.

To read the full blog post visit:  http://blog.foodallergy.org/2013/06/14/trials-and-triumphs-of-a-peanut-allergy-dad/

Also, here are a few of my past peanut allergy posts from A Geek Daddy:

YES, I AM THAT DAD!!!

BEST PEANUT ALLERGY FRIENDLY TEAMS IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 

THE SCARIEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE

BEST PEANUT ALLERGY FRIENDLY TEAMS IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

I had never heard the term “anaphylactic shock” until the day my daughter suffered from it and I find myself in a hospital emergency room not knowing if she might live or die.  Since that day, anaphylactic shock is something that is on my mind everyday as the parent of a young daughter who has to watch everything she eats and comes in contact with to avoid the peanut and tree nut proteins that trigger a deadly allergic reaction.  Now because of the risk of contact and contamination things that we used to do regularly aren’t as easy to do anymore like eating at a restaurant, going  out to get ice cream, and going to a baseball game.

This Mothers Day we’ll be spending the afternoon at Comerica Park watching the Detroit Tigers play the Cleveland Indians.  We’re big Tigers baseball fans, but the reason we are going to the game on Mother’s Day is that it is one of ONLY 2 games the Detroit Tigers offer a peanut friendly environment for our little girl.  We’ll be sitting in a suite designated for people with peanut and tree nut allergies that have been scrubbed down and cleaned for allergens and where peanuts and other risky food items are banned during the game.  It’s a great opportunity to enjoy a day at a ballpark with my whole family and not feel insure about my daughter’s safety.  

I appreciate that the Detroit Tigers make an effort to reach out to families dealing with food allergies and give them the chance to enjoy a day at the ballpark to cheer on their favorite team and see the players perform live on the field; especially when many Major League clubs provide absolutely no options for people with food allergy issues to attend a game.  On the other hand, the Tigers option is still very disappointing for a family of diehard fans (before our twins were born my wife & I went to several games a month and were considering season tickets) because of the limited options on games to attend and it is VERY EXPENSIVE (it costs more than $250 dollars just for four tickets to the peanut allergy friendly suite which does NOT include cost of food, parking, and souvenirs at the game). This will be our third time enjoying the suite at a Tigers game which is a fun and enjoyable time for our family, but it sure is an expensive day out on the town for us.

Mothers Day is also the first day of Food Allergy Awareness Week, so in recognition of that and our upcoming road trip to a Detroit Tigers game I’ve decided now would be a good time to provide a list of the best peanut allergy friendly teams in Major League Baseball.

#1  BOSTON RED SOX

The Red Sox have a designated area in the stands available as peanut allergy friendly zone for 5 dates this season.  The designated section on the Right Field Roof Terrace has 70 seats available to fans.  The seating area is inspected and cleaned prior to the game and the sale of any nut products are banned on and near the Right Field Terrace during the game.  Signs are posted surrounding the access points to the area alerting people it is a “Peanut Allergy Friendly” zone. There is also extra security, EMS, and team ambassadors assigned to the area during the game to assist with trouble shooting and to provide assistance in case a medical emergency arises.

Tickets to the peanut allergy friendly zone at Fenway Park are $50 each.  In addition to your seats for the game and the peanut allergy  friendly steps taken by the team, the admission price also includes a goody bag, a half inning visit by team mascot Wally the Green Monster, and a scoreboard message during the game: “The Boston Red Sox Welcome  Our Peanut Allergy Families to Fenway Park.”

The Peanut Friendly Games for 2013 are:

June 8 vs Los Angeles Angels

July 20 vs the New York Yankees

August 3 vs Arizona Diamondbacks

August 31 vs The Chicago White Sox

& the Futures at Fenway game on July 27

Additionally, for one game at each home stand for the Red Sox, Booth F on the Media Level will be available for people with peanut allergies.  The booth can hold up to six people and tickets are $55 each.  The booth is cleaned prior to the game to avoid contamination issues and is free of nut products during the game.

This is the 9^th year the Boston Red Sox have provided peanut allergy friendly options to its fans and many of the things they are doing are based on the results of surveys they receive from attendees each year.  It is great they are asking the food allergy community for guidance and taking actions based upon the feedback they are given.

#2 MINESSOTA TWINS

Unfortunately, it can be very hard to find information about peanut allergy friendly arrangements at Major League stadiums, even for the teams that provide services addressing food allergies.  The Twinshave the best online presence promoting their Peanut Allergy Friendly games making it very easy to find due to its partnership with the Anaphylaxis &Food Allergy Association.  The team will be offering 10 special dates at Target Field for fans who suffer from peanut allergies. The Twins private balconies located above left field will be a “peanut free zone”. Tickets range from $18 – 24 dollars. 

2013 games are:

April 28 vs Rangers

May 12 vs the Orioles

May 14 vs White Sox

June 2 vs Mariners

June 11 vs Phillies

July 30 vs Royals

August 4 vs Astros

August 27 vs Royals

September 8 vs Blue Jays

September 15 vs Rays

#3 SEATTLE MARINERS

The Mariners get the nod for providing the best price for a peanut friendly allergy event.  For $11 dollars you can buy seats in designated sections of Safeco Field for 4 games this season that individuals and families who live with severe peanut allergies can attend with a reduced risk of exposure to allergens.  No peanuts are allowed in the reserved sections and about 200 seats are available for each game. Seattle also gets a nod for making this information easy to find on their website!

The 2013 peanut allergy friendly games at Safeco Field are:

April 28 vs Los Angeles Angels

June 25 vs Pittsburg Pirates

July 26 vs Minnesota Twins

August 27 vs Texas Rangers

#4 CHICAGO WHITE SOX

The Chicago White Sox are holding NUT ALLERGY AWARENESS GAMES where they have a special designated area in the club level for anybody with a nut allergy to enjoy the ball game along with their family and friends.  No nuts or anything containing nuts will be allowed in the special seating area.  There will also be a special food table in the area featuring foods that do not contain nut products.  There will also be food options for people with milk and egg allergies.  Tickets are specially priced for attendees and each family that purchases tickets will be eligible to win 1 of 2 autographed White Sox items during the game.

#5 TORONTO BLUE JAYS

The Blue Jays are the only team from my recent listing of Best Kids Clubs in MajorLeague Baseball to make this ranking.  The Blue Jays provide a peanut free zone similar to the other teams noted in this list, but they doubled the number of games they are hosting it this year from what they did last year.  They were marked down a notch though because all of the games are during the week – come on Blue Jays working parents need some weekend games.  Their ongoing effort and commitment to providing an affordable peanut friendly environment is appreciated and that is why they are at #5 on the list.

The Blue Jays games this year are:

April 30 vs Boston

May 14 vs San Fransico

June 17 vs  Colorado

July 19 vs Tampa Bay

August 27 vs Yankees

Sept 10 vs Angels

HONORABLE MENTION:

Atlanta Braves are having a Food Allergy Friendly Game on June 2 which should be a matchup of two of the best teams in Major League Baseball as they face off against the Washington Nationals.  The Braves have partnered with Mylan Specialty to provide two sections where exposure to peanut fragments will be limited.  Tickets are $35 and include a seat in peanut-free Club Pavilion as well as $10 food and beverage credit.  Special parking arrangements can be made for $10  that provide straight access to the peanut-free section of the ball park.

Pittsburg Pirates are also partnering with Mylan Specialty to host a peanut friendly event.  Allergy Awareness Night at PNCPark on Friday, May 31 will provide a peanut free zone in the reserved deck for fans.  Tickets are $20 and addition to your seat include a $10 credit to use for food or souvenirs.  The Pirates will also be providing tips throughout the game to help ALL fans be more aware of life-threatening allergic reactions.

Detroit Tigers, as I mentioned before the Tigers host a peanut allergy friendly suite a few times a year that allows my family to attend games.  Some other teams that provide suites on specific dates for peanut/tree nut allergy fans are the Baltimore Orioles, NewYork Mets, New York Yankees, and Washington Nationals.  Suite tickets depending on the team and date can range from $20 to $100 per person.

For more information on baseball games that provide peanut allergy friendly options check out these two great resource websites:

http://foodallergyfoundation.org/events/food_allergy_baseball_2013

&

http://www.peanutfreebaseball.com/

YES, I am THAT Dad!

My life changed forever in a half hour time span – that was the time it went from feeding my daughter a snack of peanut butter on banana slices to being in the intensive care unit of the local hospital emergency room.  I posted awhile back about the “scariest moment of my life” when I went from being totally ignorant about food allergies to learning my daughter suffered from a life threatening case of them.  It’s been a few years since that episode when my 18 month daughter went into anaphylactic shock that caused her eyes, nose and throat to swell shut and began shutting down her vital organs.   The struggle continues everyday as we have to monitor our little girl who is now 4 years old making sure she doesn’t eat or have her skin come into contact with peanut or tree nut proteins that cause the reaction.

You would think it would be easy to just check ingredient listings to keep her safe, but unfortunately it’s not that simple because most cases of people with food allergies going into anaphylactic shock occur from contamination of a food item when it is being cooked, prepared or served rather than them eating something that had the allergen as a “ingredient.”  I love ice cream but because of the potential of contamination when making the ice cream (using same machinery to make a batch with peanut butter than another with a different flavor) or serving it (using the same scoop to put nuts on a sundae as to get a scoop of Superman for a cone) going to the local ice cream stand or Dairy Queen has become a no no for our family now.  It doesn’t have to be a noticeable ingredient to cause a reaction, a microscopic contamination could kill my daughter, put her into a coma, or cause her serious organ damage.

Take for example the recent story of 27 year old actress Chantel Giacalone who while on vacation in Las Vegas in February indulged in some ice cream at a local restaurant.  While the ice cream didn’t have any peanuts in its ingredients it somehow was contaminated and she suffered a severe allergic reaction on the spot.  Chantel has been in a coma now since Feb 20, 2013 in a Las Vegas hospital.  With no family in the area and no health insurance this is a tragic story of a young woman letting her guard down to enjoy a treat with some friends and things going horribly wrong.  This though is what people with severe food allergies have to deal with on a daily basis. CLICK HERE to read more about Chantel's story.

I didn’t realize until we had to start monitoring my daughter’s diet and interactions how prevalent food is at school and social functions.  I have become THAT Dad who has to tell people NO when it comes to providing treats at school or family functions.  We just can’t risk food prepared from a bakery or someone’s home where there could be contamination risks.  Yes that even means I have to turn down items baked by grandma because she keeps peanut butter and nuts in her kitchen to bake with when we aren’t over visiting.  I can see people’s body language when I speak up, like last week when a woman brought in cupcakes for my daughter’s preschool class for her daughter’s birthday treat from a bakery that weren’t safe and the teacher said she couldn’t give them out or when I told my aunt that she couldn’t bring cupcakes to Easter dinner for our kids from her favorite bakery, that they see me as an overprotective parent especially when something doesn’t have peanuts or tree nuts listed as an ingredient.  It is OK though, because I am going to continue to be THAT Dad and do what it takes to keep my little girl safe.

Food allergies really are a life or death matter.  Just a few weeks ago, a 19 year old freshman named Cameron Groezinger-Fitzpatrick lost his life after eating a cookie that had been baked using peanut oil.  He decided to take a chance and ate the cookie on a whim when a friend offered it to him when he was back home in the city of Plymouth Massachusetts for Spring Break from his freshman year at Bryant University.  Two hours later he was pronounced dead at a hospital emergency room on March 8, 2013.
CLICK HERE to read more about Cameron's story.

These are examples of a 27 year old woman and a 19 year old woman who knew the precautions they needed to take and still suffered horrible consequences from food allergy accidents.  Now just picture the trials parents with younger children who may not even be able to understand their medical conditions face.  Please if you know of anyone with a severe food allergy, especially children, please understand the significance of their condition, and make an extra effort to be considerate and understanding.  Your kindness will be truly appreciated and you may just save a life!

For more information about peanut/tree nut allergies visit the FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) website:  http://www.foodallergy.org/

Book Review: THE GIRL WHO CANNOT EAT PEANUT BUTTER

It’s that time of year again … the beginning of school.  As a parent of a young daughter with a severe peanut allergy it is always a period of anxiety as you hope your child won’t be exposed to a life-threatening situation while she’s out of your care.  Two of my wife & I’s biggest concerns are parents bringing in snacks for the kids that aren’t safe or a friendly classmate sharing their lunch not understanding the risks that eating the wrong thing could present to our child. 

Sharon Chisvin has written a cute book addressing peanut allergies that I would recommend every class room, day care, and public library that has a children’s circle time keep on their reading list.  THE GIRL WHO CANNOT EAT PEANUT BUTTER may be a short read at 19 pages but it has a big message in helping children understand that their friends with food allergies need them to be considerate and it isn’t something to tease about.  Charming sketches by illustrator Carol Leszcz and prose by Chisvin that is portrayed in rhyme makes the book an enjoyable and educational read for youngsters as well as for those who are young at heart.

I’ve often found that people consider food allergies at the same level as nasal allergies like hay fever.  Many people just don’t understand how easily it is for someone to die or be seriously hurt by going into anaphylactic shock from a food allergy reaction because they think it will just cause a runny nose or a rash.  So I was a little concerned by the warning given in the book about if Sam, THE GIRL WHO CANNOT EAT PEANUT BUTTER, was to have an allergic reaction:

If Sam ate peanuts she wouldn’t feel well

Her tummy would hurt and her tongue might swell

Her eyes would get itchy and her throat would scratch

And she might break out in a terrible rash

Despite that critique, I thought of the audience this book is aimed at preschool to grade school children and realized that you don’t want to scare these kids but rather inform them on being considerate to that girl of boy who is unique in their class.  I also appreciated the underlying theme of the book that everyone is unique in some way and being different isn’t bad because it can provide benefits like “those tasty lunches she always brings …”

Peanut allergies are on the rise and it is more and more likely that if you are a parent, teacher, or caregiver of young children you are going to encounter difficulties created by food allergies.  The best way to handle these situations is with compassion and consideration, a message shared in this book, which is why as a peanut allergy dad I highly recommend it as a learning tool for children and the adults who care for them.

You can purchase THE GIRL WHO CANNOT EAT PEANUT BUTTER on Amazon.com as a paperback book for $9.95  or for Kindle at $3.95:  http://www.amazon.com/The-Girl-Cannot-Peanut-Butter/dp/0988010402

I received a complimentary copy of THE GIRL WHO CANNOT EAT PEANUT BUTTER to review but the thoughts and opinions in this book review are my own.

For more information on Peanut Allergies please watch this video featuring children's allergy specialist Devang Doshi from Beaumont Health System: