At AllergyKids, Our Promise to you is to do everything that we can to help you to protect your child with food allergies and the health of your family.
Our independently funded research enables us to focus on recent changes in the food supply and how these changes are impacting the health of our children.
At AllergyKids, we are working closely with the families of Emily, Sabrina and Roman in our efforts to protect the health and well-being of children and to prevent deaths resulting from hidden allergens and toxins in our food.
With hope for the cure...
Emily's Story
Emily Vonder Meulen, age 13, died on April 13th, 2006 when she accidentally ingested traces of peanut at a local sandwich shop. Her father, Paul, writes:
"We lost our precious daughter, Emily, on April 13th to anaphylactic shock. She was only 13 years old. We are still in shock. We thought we had her peanut allergy under control... but you can never be comfortable. We learned this the hard way. She was gone in a matter of minutes."
The Vonder Meulens have asked that we do everything we can at AllergyKids to prevent other families from experiencing the pain that they are going through. At AllergyKids, it is our goal to prevent these accidental allergic reactions and to help protect children with food allergies.
We admire the Vonder Meulen family for their strength and courage in sharing their story. We will miss Emily for her smile, her bear hugs and her generous spirit.
Roman's Rescue
Roman Michael Fariello was born a big, healthy baby to a wonderful family - Mom, Dad and big sister Sheridan.
Last December, Roman was diagnosed with a peanut allergy after a reaction to an ice cream dessert he ate with his sister. That day, Roman was covered with hives from head to toe, and today, he carries an epinephrine with him wherever he goes.
Roman will be two years old in October and is fighting for his life. Four months after learning of food allergies, an auto-immune disorder, Roman was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is a type of cancer that mainly affects young children and usually starts in the abdomen.
After his diagnosis, Roman had many tests. The doctors informed his family that he had a tumor in his belly and a tumor behind his right eye. The cancer had also spread to his bone marrow. A talented and determined surgeon was able to remove the tumor from Roman’s stomach. The tumor behind his eye is inoperable, so he is undergoing aggressive chemotherapy to shrink the tumor.
Roman has completed six rounds of chemotherapy and countless tests and medicines. The doctors say after Roman’s treatment, he will have a 33% chance of survival.
AllergyKids learned of Roman from the family of Emily Vonder Meulen, a thirteen year old with allergies, asthma and ADHD, who died last year from a food allergic reaction with asthmatic complications. Emily’s Story appeared on our site after her father contacted us three weeks after her death. Her Story has inspired millions of families in their efforts to protect the health and well-being of their children.
At AllergyKids, our goal is to protect the lives of children like Roman and to prevent deaths like Emily’s.
To highlight the important role that diet plays in the health of our children, AllergyKids has launched the Butterfly Fund, established in memory of Emily Vonder Meulen. Through the Butterfly Fund, AllergyKids is donating 20% of profits to Roman’s family, in our efforts to Rescue Roman, as he now battles not only the peanut allergy but also stage four neuroblastoma.
As Roman turns two this October, which is Children’s Health Month, AllergyKids invites you to join in our efforts to rescue him. To learn more about how you can help, please contact AllergyKids at rescueroman@allergykids.com or visit www.rescueroman.org
Sabrina's Story
Sabrina Shannon, age 13, was a vibrant, funny teenager who loved to do what all girls do - have fun with her friends.
She was also very well-educated about her food allergies and her life threatening condition. So smart about it, in fact, that her aunt, Kathleen, helped Sabrina produce a documentary for CBC Radio about her allergies which you can hear here.
But on September 30, 2003, Sabrina died of anaphylaxis due to cross-contamination in her school's cafeteria.
As Sabrina lay dying, her mother, Sara, made a promise: Sara promised to do everything that she possibly could to prevent this from happening to another family. To this day, Sara continues to work to require schools to implement policies to protect allergic children.
On May 16, 2005, "Sabrina's Law" was passed in Ontario, Canada to do just that. Sabrina's Law requires schools to develop anaphylaxis management plans including risk reduction, storage and training of epinephrine auto-injectors, emergency procedures and training for staff.
At AllergyKids, Our Promise is to bring Sabrina's Law to the United States, because all of these children deserve a safe school environment. It is our promise to you, to Sabrina and to her family.
Food Politics Blog
Emily's Story
Rescue Roman
