Bringing awareness to food allergies

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Bringing awareness to food allergies

One local mom is hoping to raise awareness about food allergies.

May is national Food Allergies Awareness Month and Michele Stubbs is talking about the importance of public awareness around this sometimes-deadly affliction. As with many allergy sufferers, Stubbs had no idea her daughter Sierra had a potentially fatal egg allergy until she had her first reaction.

“My daughter had her first anaphylactic reaction a day after her first birthday,” she said. “It was a beautiful August morning and we were having breakfast on the sun deck.”

Sierra was trying eggs for the first time and had just touched the egg white to her lips.

“She started to cry and rub her eyes,” Stubbs said. “Within minutes her face was so swollen I could barely recognize her.”

She called 911 and Sierra was rushed to the hospital. Stubbs said the allergist later told her they were lucky their daughter had not actually ingested the egg or the reaction could have been much worse.

The Stubbs family is not alone. According to statistics provided by Anaphylaxis Canada (www.anaphylaxis.ca), about 1.3 million Canadians, four per cent of the population, have food allergies and the incidence is highest among young children – close to six per cent of those under the age of three are affected by a food allergy.

The reactions can vary from moderate to severe and in the worst cases it can be fatal. There is no cure. Although some children grow out of a food allergy, many people spend their lives avoiding certain foods.

Avoidance of the allergen is key for someone, like Sierra, who suffers anaphylactic reactions. Treatment in the case of a reaction means a quick injection of epinephrine/ adrenaline from an EpiPen and then a call to 911 for a trip to the hospital.

Stubbs said people who work in the food industry should be more aware on the potential dangers of food allergies. She said when eating out with her daughter she always makes sure to mention Sierra’s allergy to ensure the food does not contain, or come into contact with, egg. Dealing with processed, store bought foods is particularly difficult.

“You have to read the label every single time. Nothing is guaranteed safe,” she said. Even if a product has been safely consumed in the past, Stubbs said, the company could have changed the recipe.

With her daughter now in Grade 2 at Beach Grove Elementary, Stubbs is working to ensure that any child with food allergies is safe from a reaction while at school. She joined the parent advisory council and is now the allergy awareness co-ordinator.

She is working to make sure that students, teachers and staff are aware of the allergies, what an anaphylactic reaction looks like, how to use an EpiPen and what to do in case of a reaction.

As well, when the school hosts events that involve food she ensures it is allergen free so that all students can safely enjoy the same treats.

Food Allergies with Bill & Sheila

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