One of the worst parts of being a PA parent is reading the stories of children that don’t survive the allergy. I used to be completely unable to read these frightening stories. Now, however, I deem it important in my quest to stay totally informed on this allergy.
Is there a lesson that I can learn from these tragedies? According to
FAAN, 100 people die every year from peanut allergy. When you consider that 1.5 million people suffer from it, the numbers really are not that high. I don’t, however, want my child to be in that number.
As a result, I read those unfortunate stories to see what went wrong. Is there one common denominator that stands out to me as a parent so that I can protect my child?
The answer is: YES. There is one gigantic thing that stands out to me that is a lesson I never want to forget. Those who die do not have an EpiPen with them. (There is the exception, of course, but there is any in health-related situation.) For this small number of people that die from PA, it seems a lack of EpiPen seems to be the common denominator.
Here are a few stories that I am talking about:
*
Daniel Sargent *
Emily Vonder Meulen *
Ross Baillie *
Young British girl One more story that I don't see on the Internet is one my allergist told me. There was a teenage boy of a Chicago allergist. The family went to a Chinese restaurant.In rush out the door, they had forgotten the EpiPen. No problem, though, he was eating something he had eaten several times before without a problem. What the family didn't know was that the chef had changed and he had begun adding peanuts to the dish. This boy, whose father, an allergist and was with him, died. The EpiPen would have saved his life.
When we are out, Tyler’s EpiPen is usually within 2-3 feet from him at all times. If a question arises as to why, I need to only point people to these tragic stories.
Another important thing for me to remember since he is only 3, however, is that at least one person that is caring for him
MUST know how to use it. Since we are very active in church and he is in the nursery on a regular basis, I make sure at least one person caring for him is trained. Even better is two people. As most of us trained to use an EpiPen know, it could not be simpler with the trainers they provide. (If you don’t know how, visit this
website.)
So, as the old saying goes, “Don’t leave home without it.” In fact, it could be a life or death matter for anyone with PA.
According to FAAN, 100 people die every year from peanut allergy. When you consider that 1.5 million people suffer from it, the numbers really are not that high. I don’t, however, want my child to be in that number.
As a result, I read those unfortunate stories to see what went wrong. Is there one common denominator that stands out to me as a parent so that I can protect my child?
The answer is: YES. There is one gigantic thing that stands out to me that is a lesson I never want to forget. Those who die do not have an EpiPen with them. (There is the exception, of course, but there is any in health-related situation.) For this small number of people that die from PA, it seems a lack of EpiPen seems to be the common denominator.
Here are a few stories that I am talking about:
* Daniel Sargent
* Emily Vonder Meulen
* Ross Baillie
* Young British girl
One more story that I don't see on the Internet is one my allergist told me. There was a teenage boy of a Chicago allergist. The family went to a Chinese restaurant.In rush out the door, they had forgotten the EpiPen. No problem, though, he was eating something he had eaten several times before without a problem. What the family didn't know was that the chef had changed and he had begun adding peanuts to the dish. This boy, whose father, an allergist and was with him, died. The EpiPen would have saved his life.
When we are out, Tyler’s EpiPen is usually within 2-3 feet from him at all times. If a question arises as to why, I need to only point people to these tragic stories.
Another important thing for me to remember since he is only 3, however, is that at least one person that is caring for him MUST know how to use it. Since we are very active in church and he is in the nursery on a regular basis, I make sure at least one person caring for him is trained. Even better is two people. As most of us trained to use an EpiPen know, it could not be simpler with the trainers they provide. (If you don’t know how, visit this website.)
So, as the old saying goes, “Don’t leave home without it.” In fact, it could be a life or death matter for anyone with PA.