While the middle of May can signify many things, like the end of school or Mother’s Day, here in the allergy community it is both a cause for celebration and a huge call to arms. From May 12 to May 18 this year, make sure to spread the word and show your support for Food Allergy Awareness Week!
According to Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), someone is sent to the emergency room because of a severe allergic reaction every three minutes. Could you imagine if it was a friend or family member, or quite possibly even yourself? FARE also estimates that 32 million Americans have food allergies, with 5.6 million of them being under the age of 18. Plus, 40% of those allergy kids are allergic to more than one food, like me! However, the really scary thing is that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the prevalence of food allergies in children has doubled just from 1997 to 2011, and the number of childhood allergies to peanuts and tree nuts has tripled in that period of time. Not exactly good news. I assume that you’ve heard a lot about how allergies can harm people’s health and even lead to death, but I think a lot of people overlook how it actually feels to be a kid with food allergies. First, we are more than twice as likely as non-allergy children to be bullied, which is equivalent to about one in three allergy kids being targeted. As if middle school wasn’t already hard enough….. And of course, there’s the whole “money doesn’t grow on trees” thing. In the US every year, caring for children with allergies costs families $25 billion. That’s waaay too many zeros! Finally, having food allergies comes with many added health risks as well. Allergy kids are two to four times more likely to develop asthma or eczema. (I have both...) However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for food allergies! Don’t forget to wear your teal and show your support because we definitely need your help spreading the word. And even if you just decide to completely disregard this and not do anything, I still hope you have a happy Food Allergy Awareness Week. See you next post! :) If you’re still curious about food allergies or spreading awareness, I’d definitely recommend checking out FARE’s website! It has a lot of really cool nerdy stats and incredibly helpful allergy guides. Here’s the link! https://www.foodallergy.org/take-action/food-allergy-awareness-week Additionally, May 20 is International Red Sneakers Day. For more information about it or on how to show your support, go to https://www.redsneakers.org/. It is truly an amazing organization! Previous Post: Top 3 Tips for Cruising with Food Allergies
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