Our 1st son was diagnosed with food allergies 6 years ago when he was 1 year. We left the allergists office with an epipen in one hand and pamphlets of overwhelming information in the other. My husband and I felt so scared and alone. A friend of mine gave me Jennifer's name and I called her right away. It was so great to talk to someone who has had many years of experience with a child with food allergies. Her patience, warmth and knowledge was so comforting to me. She has helped us educate our family and school about food allergies so that our child feels safe in the outside world. Our child is now a thriving and self confident 1st grader. We are so thankful for Jennifer's support!
Julie Marks
Scottsdale Arizona
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When our daughter Skylar was 1, our pediatrician told us we could now give her eggs. On her first birthday, at home, I scrambled her an egg, watched her eat it with delight and then within seconds, watched her delight turn to fear as she was growing a red "beard" up her face and down her neck. I immediately called Jennifer in Phoenix who told me to give her Benadryl and go straight to the ER. My child could not breathe and was having an anaphylactic reaction to the egg. When we got the hospital the hives were covering her entire body. They rushed us in, and asked how I knew to give her the Benadryl, because I probably saved her life by doing so. Inately, I knew what was going on, but did not know what to do and I knew that Jennifer would - and she did. Our daughter is almost 4 and is allergic to eggs, nuts, peanuts, strawberries and mustard. After her initial reaction to egg, I called Jennifer many times to ask about calling companies to find out if things are safe and how to safely introduce other major allergens to our daughter. When we were ready to try wheat, Jennifer suggested to try whole wheat pasta with no other ingredient so that if she reacted, we would know for sure what it was from. We followed this protocol for wheat & soy, and thankfully, she proved not to be allergic to either. You become an expert at things that you never thought would matter - reading food and skin product labels thoroughly and knowing the other words for your allergens (i.e. albumin=egg), spotting kids and adults who have dangerous hands because of substances that they themselves are unaware that they touched, what major allergens are in pet food and therefore, spread throughout a household through pet saliva, etc. You just have different eyes when your child is allergic to things that are everywhere and in everything. One of the best things Jennifer introduced our family to was FAAN ( Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network). What an organization! They were the ones who alerted me to dog food having egg in it (which is why our daughter had a full body rash every time we went to someone's home with a dog, which we no longer do). I am now very involved in our local branch, and have helped raise thousands of dollars every year during the Food Allergy Walk in Houston. I would not have known about this organization if it were not for Jennifer. Having someone like Jennifer to call for guidance is a bit of respite and comfort in the very scary and daunting world of being a parent of an allergic child.
Kara Greenberg Gross
Houston, Texas
