Peanuts

A teenage boy died last week from eating half a cookie.  He didn't know it was made with peanut oil and took a chance.  After years of being super vigilant about his food allergies, he made one wrong decision which ended up costing him his life.

This is a story no parent of a kid with food allergies wants to read.  It is a sad reminder of how much we need to pay attention, how we can never forget the Epi pens and how we need to educate any adult or care giver who spends time with our kids.

The Wall Street Journal recently published a piece on the changing nature of food allergy research.  Many doctors are now claiming that kids should be exposed to allergens at a young age to help them build up immunity.  This is the exact opposite of what they were instructing parents of babies only ten years ago.

I don't know what I did wrong or what I didn't do right when I was pregnant, but the babe has lived with food allergies for the past six years.  It is a part of our life, and while she continues to outgrow her allergies (she recently passed a food challenge and can now consume dairy), we are still looking at peanuts and the majority of tree nuts.

While I know there's a wider understanding and acceptance in society of nut allergies (as compared to egg or dairy), I still can't shake the sense of dread that came over me when I read the article about the poor teenager who made one wrong move. 

I will continue to be paranoid, because as another family's misfortune has just reminded me, I can't be paranoid enough.