Thanks to all of you that participated in our 1st Annual Emily Vonder Meulen Memorial Golf Outing on October 13th. The fundraising event was a huge success! We had a total of 20 foursomes that came out and enjoyed the beautiful weather. I hope each of you had an enjoyable day and we are looking forward to making next years event even better.
Thanks to all of our sponsors and for those of you that donated door prizes and raffle items. The golf outing would not have been as big of a success without you.
October 21, 2007 at 12:12 am |
Thank you for the emails and education and loads of helpful information. My daughter had a anaphlyaxis reaction a few years ago and your communications have been a godsend in alerting us to issues and risks you would never be aware of from our medical and educational organizations (allergist, school nurse, etc.). Bless you and your family. Many many thanks.
October 26, 2007 at 6:28 am |
I would like to offer my deepest sympathies to all of the families touched by sudden death of a child. I myself have experienced this sudden loss. I will remember these little faces and pray for their loved ones. God Bless all of you!
October 26, 2007 at 6:42 am |
i have peanut allergies too and am also quite young. this will help me become even more aware of my surroundings
October 26, 2007 at 9:10 am |
Hello,
I read an article that linked me to your page. I was recently told to have a handful of food allergies that I never knew I had. I had been eating them every now and then and never had a serious reaction to anything. The only reason how I found out about my allergies, is because I kept having these bad episodes of difficulty breathing…and constantly using my inhaler, thinking it was my asthma. My doctor couldn’t figure out why I was having so many attacks, so he did some blood work to see if it was caused by the food I ate. Sure enough, I’m allergic to peanuts…one of my favorite snacks. I’m lucky enough to find out about this allergy now, before it’s too late. I honestly have to say that every now and then I keep telling myself that one little peanut wouldn’t kill me, I’ve had them before. But after reading so many articles about how deadly it is, I’m changing my thoughts. I’m very sorry for your lost, but I’m also very grateful that you are willing to share your personal experiences to help others understand the seriousness of food allergies.
October 26, 2007 at 9:29 am |
First let me send you my deepest sympathy on the loss of your beautiful daughter Emily. I know the feeling of living with a child with allergies and asthma. My son has allergies and asthma and he never leaves home without his backpack filled with his epi-pens, nebulizer and other medications. At the age of 17 he too has stayed away from many food items and at parties etc he never eats anything because he just don’t trust. It’s so sad to think about this happening when you least expect it. I even had to take my son out of his high school building due to the fact each day he attended there he ended up within two hours requiring his nebulizer. We found out later that it was due to a closed air system in the building (he’s allergic to both foods and enviromental) and was basically killing him a little more daily.
May God give you the strength to get thru these times and I thank you as a parent of a child with peanut and other allergies for sharing your story and may all parents of children with allergies share this with their children. I will be having my son read this, and I’m sure he will be watching all his mall trips and eating more closely due to it. You have saved many more children with your sharing with us all.
Peace and God Bless you all,
Patricia Sinicki
October 26, 2007 at 12:13 pm |
I do not have any known food allergies, but my father has been profoundly allergic to peanuts for the entirety of his life; growing up with the problem taught me a lot. His anaphalaxic shock can kill him in less than five minutes…. One of the tricks he uses when he doesn’t have his EpiPen is to drink (most or all of) a four-ounce bottle of benadryl, or take between six and eight of the quick-release benadryl capsules (sometimes more). Needless to say, my mom and I both have pill containers in our pockets with benadryl, and we never leave home without them. The reactions to peanut can happen at any time, even at those places our loved ones have eaten many times before.
October 26, 2007 at 7:54 pm |
My deepest sympothy to you and your family at the loss of your child. And the other families. I have a story to share. My mother up and left when me and my brother were 14 yrs old. Because she always prepared meals for me, I never knew I had food allergies or sensitivities. Around 18 -19, I noticed I would get sick eating seafood. Into my later 20’s they got far worse. Even a morsal of them, or even croscontamination in food prep at a resturaunt would send me to my knees. So I have learned to avoid resturaunts and other ppls cooking and preparing. We are military and have recently stationed in Germany. One month later I had my first real anaphalactic shock episode. I lost all body function and motorskills. I lost conciousness and was going to die. I pushed myself to come to for my three children. The angels were definitly there for me that night. Two months later, it happened again. Armed w/ an epi pen, (6 others scattered through my house, purse and car)… and the fast attention of my husband and older son, got me to the hospital within 10 minutes to save my life yet again. 4 months later in a hotel room I was awaken again by the tongue swelling and stinging, and within 5 minutes there was an ambulance there to save me yet again. They have done the testing. No one can find what is wrong. Even the seafood allergy testing came up negative. Nothing was the same in either circumstances. But I am scared. EVERY TIME my hand or foot or tongue itch or tingle. The steriods have made me gain almost 70 pounds in a year. But those epi pens are at arms length anywhere I go. Please let your kids be aware, playmates, babysitters, neighbors. Because the benedryl and epipens are what is a differance between life and death. This doesnt’ just happen to them when they are small. It is a lifelong battle. God bless you all. Vonnie
October 26, 2007 at 11:14 pm |
I’m so sorry for the loss of your daughter. I, too have a child that suffers from allergies. Alex will be three in December and everyday it is a constant worry that he may come in contact with anything contaminated by nuts. It is the unseen that is the most deadly, and people ( even family) do not undestand what a simple smudge of a peanut can do. Alex’s daycare is peanut free, but there have been two occasions that employees have eaten candy bars. Recently the director ate a peanut butter cup and wouldn’t give Alex a kiss when he wanted a kiss goodbye. I thought she had a cold, but minutes later found out that it was a candy bar she had eaten. I called and asked her why. She said that she cant stay away from the sweets. I told her she might as well put a loaded gun next to the peanut, either way his chances of death are equal. I asked her to put the wrapper in a sealed bag and in the outside trash. She thinks Im nuts, but she doesn’t understand.
Perhaps a commercial as simple as a gun sitting next to a peanut on a kitchen counter will get just one person to realize the severity of a simple little peanut.
I would love to help in anyway possible spread the word on peanut allergies. I emailed the Ellen show regarding the subject, and I’m hoping to hear from them soon.
October 27, 2007 at 12:11 am |
My heart goes out to anyone who has tragically lost a child due to this horrible allergy. I have been deathly allergic to peanuts all my life (I’m 31) and have had several emergency trips to the hospital. I am always so careful, but recently was rushed to the hospital after ingesting something I was assured had no peanuts, soy, etc. It obviously did and I didn’t have my Epipen with me (for some reason, had taken a different purse with me that one particular day.) Luckily I got to a nearby hospital in time. I will never again leave home without my Epipen no matter what. Like you said, you have to be constantly vigilant, because it only takes one time. You have done a wonderful thing by setting up this website. I truly hope people will become more educated about this deadly allergy and take it more seriously, because so many people just don’t understand how serious it is. Thanks again.
October 28, 2007 at 11:41 pm |
Thank you for creating this informational site. I was touched by Emily’s story. I am the mother of two children with severe allergies. Milk and nuts. We have been lucky that we never used our epi-pen before. We also were lax in that we didn’t always carry it with us. Your story alerted me to the fact that both kids have had asthma like symptoms after eating allergens. We will carry the epi-pen with us at all times! Thank you to Emily for helping to save lives.