Why We Walk

This is my family's fourth time participating in the FARE Walk (formerly FAAN - Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network). We've been living with food allergies for seven years. So far, only one of my children has allergies, but it is an issue that affects us every day.

We found FAAN/FARE right after his diagnosis. There was the fear surrounding the severity of his allergy to peanuts. That was compounded with the challenge of accommodating his two other allergies - dairy and eggs. I suddenly didn't know how to prepare food for my family. Think about the meals you make on a daily basis and consider how many include butter, cheese, milk, cream, yogurt or eggs. Do you order pizza? Go out for ice cream? Unless you are vegan or have these allergies, I'm sure these are all more a part of your diet than you thought. Add into the mix the number of products that include milk proteins like casein and whey or are manufactured on product lines with peanuts. We were starting from scratch.

FARE/FAAN gave us the resources we needed to find alternate products, to discover new recipes, and to help our relatives learn to keep our son safe too. But it was far more than that.

FARE/FAAN acknowledged our fears and helped us come to terms with them. They gave us the tools we needed to prepare my son to ask questions about the food he eats and his safety. They have enabled us to work with his schools to create safe situations for him, while not keeping him isolated from the rest of the world. They have helped him share how he feels about his allergies, but also to realize that he is far, far more than his allergies.

He is a smart, fun, social 8-year-old with an utter enthusiasm for life. He is loved by his sisters who are just as engaged in (and sometimes fearful for) his safety. He plays sports, reads voraciously, and dreams big dreams. He is not an allergy kid. He is a third grader who, like so many others, has some challenges he has to work around. And he does. And he will continue to do so with the help of FARE.

And someday, maybe someday, he will be able to benefit from the amazing research that FARE helps fund and he will look back at these allergies as something that he used to have to deal with.

I hope you will consider helping FARE continue to support families like ours with a small donation - $5, $10, $25...It all makes a HUGE difference. Make a contribution to Team Westford as we participate in the October 6 FARE Walk: www.foodallergywalk.org/boston/teamwestford