I thrive on being active. The boost of energy I get from being on the move is my passion. It’s this zest for movement that drives my search for new experiences.

As my husband and I started our family we quickly discovered how difficult it was to raise a child with a long list of life-threatening food allergies. Navigating the world became a whole lot more challenging. The ability to get up and go with little ones is tough enough. The added planning required when most common foods could send you to the emergency room made our heads spin. 

It was a time of great frustration for me, trying to remain calm and manage what should be such simple activities with a young allergic child in tow. But with planning, research, and more planning, we figured out how to live safely. We have lived through many reactions, both mild and anaphylactic, numerous food challenges, asthma, eczema, unsuccessful oral immunotherapy (OIT), an eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE) diagnosis, many endoscopies, orthostatic intolerance struggles, and then some – a combination of wins and losses.  

This new stage of emerging independence with adolescent boys has driven us to evolve our thinking about how we teach our allergic son to manage his own safety.  It’s finding a balance also for our non-allergic son and their relationship as siblings, each one deserving their own attention.

I find that my passion for movement is at the heart of managing the stress of the daily challenges of food limitations. It’s so easy to become overwhelmed by the details. As long as I can keep our family moving and exploring the world and new situations, my allergic son will be better prepared for his future. The same goes for our non-allergic son.  It’s about looking for the silver linings in our simple everyday lives. 

I look forward to you joining us as we continue our journey.