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Home › Articles › Food Allergies › Riding the Rooster

Riding the Rooster

How Peanut Allergies Can Affect Kids' Simplest Pleasures

By Donna Stone

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After showcasing his talent for impersonating his favorite sheriff to an impressed audience, Caleb asked for a marshmallow. It seemed to be a pretty cheap wage for such an accomplished actor, so I consented. Before giving him the sticky treat, I read the label to check for food coloring out of habit, even though I had read it when I purchased them and again when I opened the bag. He gobbled up the one and said in a sweet, wheedling voice, "May I have three?" So he got two more, and I was rewarded with an ear-splitting grin, complete with dimples and rows of tiny white baby teeth.

This day shines in my memory. It was almost as if we were normal, average people, doing normal, average things. There are days that aren't so great, days full of antihistamines, doctors and oatmeal baths; and other days when I must say no to every request. Then I search my heart, pull out that memory and think about battered straw hats, marshmallows and riding the rooster.

About Anaphylaxis

Caleb is 4 years old and is among the growing number of children affected by Food Induced Anaphylaxis, usually caused by peanut allergy. Sensitive individuals can react by inhaling peanut dust or odor and by absorbing through skin contact residual peanut traces left on surfaces. Allergic persons must carry an Epi-Pen, an auto injector containing a pre-measured dose of epinephrine, or similar device with them at all times along with an antihistamine. Many children with peanut allergy have other allergies as well. It is estimated by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology that 125 Americans die each year from allergic reactions to food, although true statistics are impossible to come by because it is under reported as a cause of death. Peanut allergy is considered to be a lifelong condition.


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