Food Allergies and School

I read this story today about a seven-year-old boy who was allergic to peanuts and nearly died after eating them at school.

I know I talk about food allergies a lot but I didn't fully understand the seriousness of them until we started living with them, and I want to help others understand, too. Even if you don't have a child with allergies, you could be instrumental in helping an allergic child, which could save his or her life.

This boy's mom did everything right. She sent her child to a peanut-free classroom. She went in and approved the snacks that were safe for him. Still, while eating a snack and watching a movie in his classroom, he ate peanuts. Another child had a peanut butter granola bar and it somehow ended up on this boy's plate. In the dark, he reached for it and took a small bite.

He was fortunate because he initially reacted with only an itchy tongue and a stomach ache, and then had a delayed reaction, which is extremely rare. Usually, reactions occur almost immediately. Only after arriving at the hospital did this particular boy break out in hives, his throat tightened, and his lungs started shutting down. He was put on life support, a heart-lung bypass machine, and he survived.

Tragically, a little girl, also seven years old, didn't survive when she ate peanuts given to her at school by a classmate, just a couple of weeks ago. Again, her mother did the right things. She had an allergy action plan at school for her daughter.

I'm thankful that the people at E's school understand the severity of his allergies and take them seriously. His school is peanut-free, he takes his own food and has a supply of snacks at school. The school contacts us regularly to check on ingredients for projects or special occasions.

Still, I worry. His school is peanut-free, but he's just as allergic to cashews and other tree nuts as he is to peanuts. And, all it takes is a classmate to give him a bite of something. It's a fear that every parent of an extremely allergic child lives with.

What strikes me in the case of the two children I mentioned is that an EpiPen and Benadryl weren't administered. In the case of the little boy, 911 wasn't called and he went to the hospital with his mother, rather than in an ambulance.

It seems to me that, with more and more children having life-threatening allergies, there should be consistent allergy plans in all schools. They're trying to pass a bill in Virginia that would put EpiPens in all schools. Why aren't all states doing this? EpiPens can mean the difference between life and death. The EpiPens and Benadryl need to be easily and quickly accessible, and all school personnel, including substitute teachers, should have a clear understanding of which children are allergic, and how and when to administer the necessary meds, and to call 911 first and the parents second.

When E first reacted, I instinctively gave Benadryl and called his pediatrician, who told me to take him to the hospital. If, God forbid, he ever has another reaction, I will give the Benadryl and EpiPen and then call an ambulance, rather than taking him to the hospital myself. Even though I was very familiar with food allergies, I had no clue about how serious they could be. Now I know. Educating more people about them can mean fewer little lives lost to them.

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