Food Allergy Awareness Week

This week is Food Allergy Awareness week. As many of you know, this is an issue that is very close to my heart because my only daughter has multiple, life threatening food allergies.

It's not easy for my Bear, but she deals with her allergies like a trooper. She is careful with what she eats and 99% will check with my husband or myself to make sure the food she is eating is safe. She is 6.5 now, and her responsibility with this is amazing.

My boys have also had to learn to live with her allergies (although Goose is too young to understand). Monks and Chubbs understand there are certain foods that can hurt their sister. Monks is 7.5 and made a speech to his first grade class at the beginning of the school year explaining the dangers of food allergies. His best friend also suffers from a peanut allergy and Monks won’t pick any peanut product from the lunch line. Chubbs isn't in school yet since he's not 4 yet, but whenever we've gone to restaurants, he is the first to tell our server that his sister can't eat certain foods.

My children make me very proud. They are already growing up to be strong and compassionate people. I believe that Bear having Food Allergies has contributed to that. We've seen the good side of this issue, with compassion and understanding, as well as the bad side. People have told me that my daughter wasn't meant to live. That a little bit wouldn't hurt her. When a Mother gave Bear some cake last year and Bear nearly died, the woman insisted I was being a helicopter mother and showed no remorse for purposely giving my child something she was told would harm her.

The Food Allergy community is strong. We stick together and always tell each other when a product has been recalled, when an ingredient isn't listed, and when a product that had been commonly used had suddenly changed their recipe.

We've also suffered losses. Children, teens, and adults who had lost their lives because of innocent foods that turned into poisons for them.

So this week, I ask that you remember those who have lost their lives due to food allergies and take a page out of my wonderful children's books. Don't look down on those with food allergies or think they aren't that bad. Food allergies are dangerous. A little bit can do more than just hurt. A little bit can Kill.

Lola Grace Stevens

Proud Mother of an Amazing Food Allergic Daughter and Three Wonderful Sons

Author of Family of Fire and Men of Turtlecreek series.