Sweethearts Candy Blog's

This was a tough week for peanut allergies. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) decided to back off its proposal for an airline peanut ban after pressure from peanut farmers (but hopefully not from numerous ignorant, hateful comments they received from folks not in the know but very creative with their language).

McDonald's introduced a new Reese's Peanut Butter Cup "McFlurry" rendering a former nut allergy-friendly restaurant questionably safe for those with peanut allergies. (More on that development in a future post.)

Some of this stuff has gotten me down and it's gotten many of you down. So I thought it was time to share a positive story from our family.

Many people viewing this blog have very young kids who have been recently diagnosed with severe peanut and/or tree nut allergies. The first thought we have when this happens is how our kids are going to coexist in the "nutty" world we live in.

For example, parents have worries about school, sports, extracurricular activities and any type of normal social life. They worry that this will be impossible for their kids. I know that I worried this way and it's a natural worry. Food affects all parts of life and peanut butter is a number one risk at any school.

So let me tell you about what I witnessed last night. My 10-year-old daughter was in a production of High School Musical Jr. (for younger kids) as part of a theater camp. She didn't have a big role--it was her first play and she was cast as a Wildcats Cheerleader. The cast was huge--she was up there with dozens of other kids most of the time.

This is exactly the kind of thing I wondered if she could ever do. Because kids are eating peanut butter right and left, it's going everywhere and if there's peanut butter there is always risk of reaction.

All of this is still true. But this girl had a huge smile on her face the entire show--she was having the time of her life. She was confident and happy and it showed.

Risks were undoubtedly part of this experience as they always are. Backstage, I told her to watch what she eats (we packed her own snacks of course) and not to share certain makeup (especially lipstick--goes on the mouth!) with other cast members. When questioned after the show, she told me she had followed all of our rules and even read the label of foundation makeup before it was applied.

I know I've written about this before, but for those of you who are new to my blog, I want to reassure you that the lessons sink in. When you teach your severely allergic kids how to cope, they will. And then you can sit back and enjoy them as I did last night.

Both of my daughters were in shows last night and they were both fabulous. For the first time, I really felt some of my worry subside regarding my oldest and her allergies. She is growing and learning how to be independent and the proof was right onstage for me to see.

As the school year winds down, now is a great time to check your food allergy medications, bracelets and other gear to make sure that everything is up to date and current. For example, I came across one of my daughter's many EpiPens only to find that it expires next month. Several others don't expire until next fall, but I definitely don't want any duds laying around.

What about you? For those of you with kids in school or daycare, now is a great time to check the dates of your child's prescriptions (if you don't have them filed away already), see if they're getting low on anything (asthma inhalers or other medications for example) and to make sure that medical I.D. allergy bracelets still fit.

Also, since summer is coming, now is a great time to get those all-important medical forms filled out by your allergist. Allergists will be super-busy for the next few months, so get your forms in early.

Some of you have probably heard of the Center for Anaphylactic Support--they are a great group that offers EpiPen video tutorials as well as a FREE EpiPen renewal reminder service. Check the site to find out more--it's also a great site for friends and relatives who want to learn more about severe allergies.

If your child has outgrown their Medical I.D. bracelet (either mentally or physically), check out some new designs on the Medic Alert website. The Kid Smart program comes with a discount for children 17 and under. New Medic Alert jewelry include girly beading (for young fashionistas) and shoe tags that boys may prefer to wear. (On a side note, you'll also see adorable Alexis Fellows, daughter of mom Michele who runs the fabulous dairy, egg and nut-free bakery Sweet Alexis, when you click on the site!)

Spring updates can be a chore, but don't forget to do a spring sweep of your child's allergy needs. Anything I forgot to mention? Share your spring updates with us!

Is it me, or is there a birthday party every weekend? I mean, I have nothing against celebrations of any kind, but when families are working and busy, it can get kind of crazy.

Most parents feel obligated to have their child attend any party they are invited to but I think some of us do it with a less-than-cheerful attitude. After all, don't parents deserve a weekend to just have a tiny bit of R&R?

As the parent of a child with life-threatening food allergies, I have to weigh each invitation a little more carefully than I would otherwise. There could be any number of reasons that we skip a party, not always because of food allergy issues. But I would be lying if it I said it doesn't play a role. Of course, sometimes we just can't go. And if my daughter really wants to attend, we make sure that she does.

Still, I've always had the nagging suspicion that if my daughter were free of food allergies, birthday party worries would be non-existent.

Turns out I'm wrong! I was reading a Chicago Moms Blog that is cross-linked to the DC Moms Blog (I know, it's a little confusing) the other day and the topic of discussion was birthday parties. Specifically, birthday parties that occur during the week. The moms were debating whether or not these birthday parties were designed to exclude the "working moms." They also complained about the inconvenience of too many birthday party invitations not necessarily being a welcome thing. On that one, I hear ya, sisters.

Doesn't matter if you're a "Nut-Free Mom" or not. Birthday parties aren't always a piece of cake for busy parents, no matter what the situation. Whew! It's not just me.

A reader recently posted about Kohl Children's Museum in Glenview since it houses a "nut-free bakery." My family enjoys it there so much I thought it deserved its own blog entry.

Yesterday was my oldest daughter A's birthday (on the left). She turned 8! Last week, my youngest, Z. turned 5. Yes, February is a big month in our family. Happy Birthday(s) my little ladies!

It got me thinking about how far I've come in terms of understanding nut allergies. I'd heard of them before my daughter's diagnosis, but did not think we were at risk.

It's scary to hear that the child you thought was perfect has a serious medical condition, especially when it relates to a common food that most kids love. It sounds like a joke, actually. Remember that game, "Frogger?." (Now I'm dating myself.) The frog has to dash through a ridiculously busy street without getting squashed. It's harder than it looks.

That's what parenting a child with severe food allergies feels like sometimes. You're constantly dodging through traffic, in my case peanut butter and all its incarnations.

In the 4 years since we learned of our daughter's allergies, a lot of progress has been made, both medically and in society's acceptance of food allergies. That's wonderful. Sadly, more and more children are being diagnosed.

In the midst of the fun and activity, I thought about the other children being born on my daughter's birthday. How many of them would share her allergies? My future hope is that someday there is a cure. My other hope is that food-allergic kids and their families get the support and compassion they need.

In the meantime, you know what? I was always pretty good at "Frogger."

Food allergies make strange bedfellows out of the most diverse people. Yes, apparently, everyone IS affected by them. And here's proof: Donald Trump is now involved (in an inadvertant way, to be sure but, read on.)

I never thought I'd be grateful to Donald Trump for anything, but.... If you watch "Celebrity Apprentice"(I admit that I don't--but I think I might have to start) you already know that country music star Trace Adkins is currently appearing on the show to benefit The Food Allergy Anaphylaxis Network. This is the first time (that I'm aware of) that a commercial TV show has shed light on food allergies in this way. If you click the above link you can see video of Trace talking about his daughter's food allergies and his decision to support FAAN.

I am thrilled that someone in the spotlight would choose this issue to support. I am not a country music fan, but apparently Mr. Adkins has had several hits including, (I must say one of the funniest song titles I've ever heard): "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk." Yeah, that's right. The song is all about butts. The video pretty much is a woman's worst nightmare, OK, you've got me there. But I laughed myself silly when I heard the song and I'm driving my husband crazy by singing it constantly.

I would link directly to the video, but I'm trying to keep this a family blog. :) You can watch it on youtube if you want to. Let me just say this: it looks like they're at Gilly's from "Urban Cowboy" if the girls at Gilly's wore gold lame hot pants.

Actually, I can't think of a better spokesperson at the moment. Here's the thing: this guy is clearly not all PC, which food-allergic parents are frequently accused of being, and that's the excuse for people not taking it seriously. Just imagine if Brangelina were the spokespeople for food allergies. Yikes.

I thank Mr. Adkins for supporting this issue and I hope he's successful on "Celebrity Apprentice." Week 5 has just passed and Trump still hasn't told him "You're fired!" He's already beat out Gene Simmons of Kiss. That's pretty impressive in my book.

And if Trace Adkins wins the competition, I may have to make "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" my personal ringtone.

My title refers to a radio segment I heard today that featured renowned allergist Dr. Hugh Sampson of the Jaffe Allergy Institute in New York. He appeared on WNYC today, a local NPR affiliate in NY to rebut an article (and subsequent radio segment on WNYC) by a journalist who claims in Harper's magazine that all food allergies are psychosomatic, kids don't need EpiPens and people don't really die from severe allergic reactions.

Whew! OK. Here's the other thing: several people commented on the radio station's web site following Dr. Sampson's segment. One of them accused allergy sufferers of being no more than victims of "Worried Mom Syndrome."

Well, obviously I don't agree, but you know what really makes me mental? A lot of people think that. Food allergies have really become a red state/blue state thing and I don't know why. You know, the idea that kids who have food allergies have yuppie, oversized SUV-driving parents with a lot of disposable income and various obsessive-compulsive disorders. These folks will tell you that what kids need to do is play in the dirt and allergies will magically disappear! Uptight, overly clean, overeducated parents are the problem, not allergies themselves!

Maybe it's the weather in Chicago lately (freezing, snowy, generally miserable) but those kinds of attitudes make me want to jet to a warm-weather resort with a poolside waiter who resembles Clive Owen. (Anyone know of a place like that?) Listen, I'd have my kid take a mud bath every day if that would cure her allergies. That's not going to cut it.

But seriously, I think it's really unfortunate that we, as parents of food-allergic children have to combat this notion at all. I'm not sure that we'll be able to convince everyone of the seriousness of the medical condition our children have, but even if we spread awareness, that's a start.

Getting back to the radio segment, Dr. Sampson gave out a lot of data, didn't lose his cool even when the host accused him of using children's "questionable" food allergies for his personal profit (can you believe it?) and he had some good things to say. You can listen to his interview if you click the link. It should be archived shortly. I personally wish the Dr. had been a little tougher on the biased and glib host, but he handled himself very professionally in a relatively short segment.

I guess you have to live it to really appreciate what we "Worried Moms" AND Dads go through each day. That's why I appreciate everyone who speaks out on behalf of food allergies, like Dr. Sampson, and tries to advocate for kids.

For everyone who talked to a teacher, explained an EpiPen to another parent or baked cupcakes for 24 kids today so that your child didn't have to miss out on a treat, I take my hat off to you. Thank you. We'll keep working to make sure our children have the happy, healthy lives they deserve.

Thanks, also, to the many supportive parents and teachers that I meet who show so much compassion to my daughter. My whole family appreciates it.

Still, a vacation couldn't hurt.

I really didn't want to comment on this very unfortunate article by Meredith Broussard published in the January edition of Harper's magazine, what I had thought was a reputable magazine. Clearly I was wrong, since they appear to be missing a fact-checking department.

I did not want to give more attention to a writer who is spewing inaccuracies and casting aspersions on parents who are trying to prevent their severely allergic children from having life-threatening reactions.

But so many people have been discussing this story with me that I can't avoid it any longer. If you click the above link, it will take you to the magazine's web site. You have to register in order to read the story yourself, but you should. It's highly disturbing and basically states that parents of food-allergic kids are hysterics whose children's allergies are all in their heads. It also trashes the FAAN.

I know. It's crazy, but it's in print and unfortunately some people believe everything they read.

Obviously the biggest fear is the backlash that can result from an uneducated person promoting their harmful views in print and in other media. As we know, life is hard enough for food-allergic families, especially when others don't want to take our concerns seriously.

This author also recently appeared on New York Public Radio and I am glad to say, was lambasted by listeners who also posted their comments on the show's web site. If you can stomach it, listen to the segment.

The show received so much flak about Ms. Broussard's comments that they are now having a "rebuttal" show featuring a respected allergist and researcher on Thursday, January 31st at 11:40 a.m. central time (12:40 p.m. eastern time). Hopefully, Dr. Sampson of the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute will set the record straight. I know I'll be listening.

Education is the best defense. I'll bolster, not lessen, my efforts to support the FAAN. They are truly lifesavers and in no way deserving of anyone's demeaning comments.