Saturday, we had the privilege of attending the Andrew Mueller Memorial Car and Truck Show. The Mueller Family, and lots of their friends, worked very hard to put on a great show and hundreds of people came out to support them and their cause of providing first responders with epinephrine. We were there to support the Mueller’s and to help spread awareness of allergies and the value of Dillon’s Law. Dillon’s parents, Angel and George were also there, and we spent most of the day with them, helping at their booth. Together we talked to people about the seriousness of allergies and also about the opportunity for all WI residents to get their own personal use epinephrine. Angel or George would share their story about Dillon, we would share about Hannah, and we would talk about Andrew’s accident. As exciting as the car and truck show was, it was Andrew’s allergy and the fact that the first responders didn’t have epinephrine that led to the tragedy that made this a memorial celebration.
We talked to dozens of people and all of them were receptive to our stories and to Dillon’s Law, but there were two people that still make our heads hurt. One was a woman in her 60’s and the other was a young man, roughly 20. Each said that they have had a life-threatening anaphylaxis reaction to an unknown (even after testing) allergen. They had swelling around the mouth and in their airways which led to each of them needing emergency medical attention and epinephrine. Since these encounters though, neither one of them carries their epi with them. The woman got tired of renewing her prescription and the young man said that he just left it at home. Then later in the conversation he said that at some point he was probably going to leave it in his car, instead of leaving it at his house. I paused for a second but couldn’t help but ask him what his car was allergic too… Having it in your vehicle is great if you are driving, but other than that, epi needs to be readily accessible, not left in a driveway or parking lot somewhere. It also needs to be stored properly. It must be kept from freezing, and it can’t be left baking in the car on a hot summer day. When the woman without epi was asked if she ever worried about having another reaction, she told us that she had lived long enough and that something was going to take her life sooner or later. We asked how her children would feel about that mentality, and she said that she only had cats. Well, both conversations were good and friendly, but after they left, we looked at each other and wondered how some people can be so nonchalant about their allergies; even after having life threatening reactions and while talking to parents who lost children to the same problem. Personally, as the parents of Dillon, Andrew, and Hannah, we wish that we had that same warning and that chance to be fully prepared.
Although he was running around like a head with his chicken cut off, Andrew’s dad Mark took a few minutes to tell us about the opportunities that he was having in equipping first responders in his area with epinephrine. It was great to hear about the acceptance and willingness of these municipalities and organizations to take this matter seriously. Angel and George, on the other hand, told us about a municipality and a school, local to them, who were not so interested in being prepared. Despite being able to get Neffy for FREE, the school nurse, I believe, decided that it was too much paperwork to mess with. The municipality said that if they were to get epinephrine, they would have to create procedures, provide training, “maintain” the epinephrine, and then it would have to be taken in and out of vehicles when not in use. Unfortunately, it all totaled up to too much work…
Please don’t misunderstand me. Despite these few frustrating moments, we did have a great time and had meaningful conversations with all sorts of people who are affected by allergies. Some of these had the allergies themselves and others had loved ones or close friends with allergies. Many of them knew Andrew and were dramatically affected by the tragedy of his passing. The whole event was amazing, and everyone had a great time remembering Andrew, supporting his family, and advancing the cause of getting epi into the hands of all first responders. Great work Andrew Mueller Family and friends!!! You are amazing!
We are blessed.
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