Two Goals

I want this blog to be more than just a place to talk about peanut allergy. I want to do something practical.

Here are my two goals for this week:

1. Contact Extra Foods, COOP, and Walmart and ask them to put their peanut products out of a toddler's reach. I was shopping with Colin today, and he excitedly ran to get a banana and nearly crashed into a display of various nuts.

2. I am going to contact the city to see if we can make city facilities such as the pool, the library, and field house peanut free.

Here I go. I'm nervous.

A Starting Point...

I am the mother of a toddler with allergies. My two and half year old little boy, Colin, has a severe allergy to peanuts, and an intolerance to wheat, diary, and cantelope. In the past few months, we have been struggling more and more with his peanut allergy. Our main problem seems to be that peanuts and peanut products are turning up everywhere we go. I have become increasingly angry. I need to do something with this emotion. I choose to do something productive. I am going to try to educate my family, friends, and my community about peanut allergy.

Let me tell you a little about our journey so far. When Colin was about 9 months old we gave him some wheat cereal. He immediately started to scream, break out in hives, and projectile vomit. This led to many doctors appointments, and allergy testing. We were shocked to learn that he is allergic to peanuts. When he was two he was given a peanut challenge. The results are something I will never forget. It was incredibly scary to watch my toddler swell up, break out in hives, scratch his eyes, and cough like he couldn't get his breath. All in a matter of minutes. That day we met a new friend. The epi pen. We don't leave the house without it.

This blog will have a few goals:

1. To educate. I want people to understand exactly what peanut allergy is, and what it is not.

2. To advocate for chance. I want to raise awareness in my community, and work towards making most child friendly areas peanut free.