Over the past few months, we have received a variety of interesting information that may be helpful in the area of allergy awareness. We will share these links today. This may look a bit “clumsy” because of the links, but hopefully this will be helpful to many.
First, in the State of New York, a three-year-old died at his daycare from an allergic reaction. Elijah Silvera had a known allergy, and his daycare facility was aware of the allergy too, but he was served grilled cheese. After his anaphylaxis began, proper protocols were not followed, leading to his death. As a result, his family worked to get Elijah’s Law passed which requires epinephrine auto injectors in schools, daycares, etc. Here is a fact sheet about that law: https://aafa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/elijahs-law-fact-sheet.pdf . This was signed into law in New York initially, but it is also law in Arkansas, Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and California. The NYC Council has also passed their own legislation which strengthens emergency safeguards. Here is a link to the report on that from Elijah-Alavi Foundation: https://www.elijahalavifoundation.org/post/protecting-kids-citywide-nyc-passes-bill-to-ensure-epinephrine-in-every-school-and-daycare .
Second, we have a story closer to home, for us. This is a story about the good work that Andrew Mueller’s family is doing in their area. As a reminder, Andrew lost his life about two weeks after Hannah to an unknown peanut allergy after eating a few peanut butter M&M’s by mistake. Five first responders arrived to “help,” but none of them were able to give him a simple epi device. By the time the paramedics arrived, it was too late. Like Hannah, those precious moments without oxygen to his brain led to his family choosing organ donation for their son. We have been able to get to know them through our indirect meeting at an organ donation event at the Governor’s residence. The Andrew Mueller Foundation raises money to provide local first responders with epinephrine auto injectors. (As a side note, they have to do this because municipalities, police departments, politicians, etc. are unwilling to spend the money to provide this commonsense service themselves…. That’s my opinion and it’s what we are up against as we present things like Dillon’s Law, Andrew’s Law, and someday Hannah’s Law to these groups.) Anyway, here is a link to their story: https://www.waow.com/news/local-non-profit-equips-police-officers-with-epipens-following-death/article_744df3ce-aeca-4ceb-89e3-b6cbb6fa5a57.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share . We are thankful for their work!
Third, we received an email about a life that was saved in Stevens Point, WI because a police officer had an “EpiPen” in his squad, and he was trained in using it! This comes after the mayor and assistant police chief were able to lead that community into adopting policies and practices that prepare their first responders for this type of situation. They were inspired by Andrew’s Story, and with his family, they worked together to raise money for these devices. We do not have any more details on the medical emergency itself, but we are thankful that some leaders and communities are taking their community’s safety seriously and it’s great to hear about lives that are literally saved! (This begs the question, “How prepared is your community?” If you or a loved one suffers a reaction, who are you counting on to save that life?) Here is a link to a story on how Stevens Point became prepared: https://spmetrowire.com/stevens-point-police-raising-funds-to-equip-officers-with-epipens/ .
Fourth, a while back we posted about our friend Braxton Kimura, and his amazing video about living with his allergy called “Beyond the Shell.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vFIiKqwvzk&t=234s He used one of the news reports about Hannah at the opening of his video, and that is how we came in contact with each other. The last time that we spoke, he was supporting SB 68 in his home state of California. Part of this bill requires all restaurants to notify their guests about food allergens clearly and directly on their menus. This bill was passed and it’s now a law: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB68 We do appreciate the work that so many people are doing around the country to help keep others safe.
Finally, let’s end with something fun for all those cooks with nut allergies in their families and for those who just want to prepare healthy nut-safe meals or try something new. The Nut Free Wok is a blog site created by an allergy mom named Sharon Wong. If you are a foodie looking for some new Asian recipes to add to your repertoire, give this link a click: https://nutfreewok.com/
Live prepared!
We are blessed
P.S. If you would like to donate to Hannah Helps:
PayPal: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/5609126
Venmo: venmo.com/u/hannahhelps19
Your support is needed and greatly appreciated!
Thank You!
Hannah Helps Blog 