Food for Thought
Allergies are on the rise. So is misinformation.
by Adrienne Martini
July 30, 2007
Washington, D.C.'s Maria Acebal remembers the first time she fed her young daughter a peanut butter cracker. After one bite, the girl went into "full-on anaphylactic shock," which included vomiting, difficulty breathing and convulsions. "It was terrifying," says Acebel, who has her JD from Yale Law School and practiced at one of the nation's top litigation firms for several years. "The story to me is how many of us parents have gone to school to talk to the teacher about your kids' condition. You're so nervous to have this conversation as it is — but you frequently have this doe-in-headlights looking back at you. You can tell they've taken in about ten percent." In the end, she says, the "teacher is like, 'Oh my God, I have this self-injecting EpiPen that I don't know how to use.' Then the parent bursts into tears because she isn't confident this person can take care of her kid."
Rather than be the crying parent, Acebal started Safe@School Partners, a non-profit that provides training to schools and camps. Acebal's programs aren't about setting up draconian (and, frequently, ineffective) measures. Instead, she councils schools to implement simple systems that increase the kids' safety.
"I don't push for banning this or banning that. I tell the schools, 'Tell me your parameters and I'll tell you how to be safer.' You can keep kids safe with a really minimal amount of inconvenience to other kids in the class," Acebal says.
Acebal's program would have been useful in a Pembroke, Ontario classroom in 2003.
On paper, Sabrina Shannon did everything right. She asked the food servers about the oil they used for their fries. Maybe those of use who can loosen up about food should do so, and count our blessings.She had an EpiPen in her backpack. Still, a few hours after lunch she went into anaphylactic shock. Despite the school's knowledge of her allergies, a series of events left her in a coma and on life support. Her parents made the choice to pull the plug when it became clear that too much damage had been done.
In a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio documentary made about living with food allergies, then-ten-year-old Sabrina sounded like any other kid. Which is exactly the point. "In the real world, you can't keep your children in a bubble," Sabrina's mom Sara Shannon said. "You want them to engage with the world safely."
Sabrina's death galvanized Sara to advocate for stronger legislation about school food safety. She has been working in Ontario to pass "Sabrina's Law," which would require schools to have plans in place for anaphylactic reactions. Similar laws are being considered in other provinces as well as in the U.S.
Clearly, hyper food mom has her place, and it's in the service of a child truly at risk. But, given that real allergies are on the rise, maybe those of use who can loosen up about food should do so, and count our blessings.
©2007 Adrienne Martini and Nerve Media
About the Author
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Adrienne Martini has written for the Austin Chronicle and Cooking Light. A former editor for Knoxville, Tennessee's Metro Pulse, her first book is Hillbilly Gothic: A Memoir of Madness and Motherhood. She chronicles her adventures at www.martinimade.com. |
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