My eldest child was diagnosed with a life threatening peanut allergy over 13 years ago. As time passed we added more allergens to that list. By the time my third child was 1 year old we were avoiding milk, egg, soy, peanuts and tree nuts. Thankfully, due to oral immunotherapy and passed oral food challenges…
Category: Advocating for Safe Inclusion
Brotherhood of the World Blogger Award!
Thank you to Kathleen O’Hagan of Allergy Bites for nominating me for the Brotherhood of the World Blogger Award! I first e-met Kathleen through a Facebook group for Parents of Kids with Food Allergies in Toronto/GTA. It is quick and easy to become friends with a fellow food allergy mom as we have already have…
To Ask or Not to Ask
Before the winter break Sahil’s school held a French Cafe event where grade 8 students cooked crepes and other treats for students to buy and eat in school. It was to raise money for a local charity. All students were brought down class by class during the school day to participate but there were no…
Bullying
Food Allergy Bullying It is the bullying of those with food allergies. I first encountered food allergy bullying when Sahil was 5 and in Senior Kindergarten. He was in a small school with just 8 other children in his class. He and another child were the only boys so being friends with that one other…
Food
Food sustains life, provides nutrition, evokes the senses, gives comfort & joy, bonds friends and families. For my children food is also poison. We usually teach children to share but from a very young age I have taught my children never to share food. And, not to accept food that is being offered to them…
School Safety
One of the most difficult challenges of being a parent of food allergic children is to entrust them to someone else. If they just stayed at home it would be easy but this is neither feasible nor desirable. They spend more hours at school than at home. Sahil and Jaya eat their snack and lunch…
Safe Inclusion
One of the things I have to negotiate almost daily are food related celebrations. In school and out. Recently after searching online, I compiled a short list of suggestions for in-class celebrations including birthdays. There are many reasons to celebrate during the year – Valentine’s Day, Easter, Diwali, birthdays just to name a few. Sending…
Food Free Section
In November 2015, My husband and I made a presentation to the Markham Public Library Board asking them to consider introducing a section in the library where no food is allowed in order to be more welcoming to families dealing with food allergies. In response to our presentation the Markham Public Library piloted a…
Our Allergic Life 