Food Allergy Awareness Is Seven-Year-Old’s Cause
November 7, 2009 by John Rook
Commonly, when people go out to eat, they usually spend their time discussing what appetizers to try or which desserts are worth sampling at the end of the night.
When the DiNatale family goes out to eat, however, the discussion focuses on much more important issues. In fact, the Cheshire family can go to only two different restaurants in the area, ones that can accommodate the severe food allergies of their children.
Nadia DiNatale, 7, is the oldest of the DiNatale children and suffers from the most severe food allergies. She breaks out in hives and has trouble breathing if she comes into contact with milk, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, or legumes. While most children outgrow their food allergies as they get older, DiNatale has actually identified more as time has gone on, recently adding oranges and lemons to her allergy repertoire.
“People eat stuff that I’m allergic to, but I make sure to have special snacks with me,” she said. “I bring it with me at the beginning of the school year because I’m nervous about my allergies.”
But, DiNatale isn’t content with just “living” with her allergy. She is trying to help others combat the affliction, and has signed up to become an ambassador for the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. There are roughly three million children with food allergies, and the Heart of FAAN Ambassador Program looks to “put a face” on food allergies. If elected, DiNatale will promote the organization, participate in fundraising events, and more. Voting is done online and requires at least a $10 tax-deductible donation — money that is used to fund research and programming.
“I want people to understand food allergies,” DiNatale said. “I want everyone around the world to better understand them and know that a ‘happy pen’ can save a life.”
DiNatale recalled a scary incident when she was five years old in which her younger brother, Robert, had his first peanut allergy reaction. He wasn’t given epinephrine right away and was hospitalized overnight. She remembered feeling scared at the time, but after he was given a shot with an epinephrine auto-injector, or EpiPen, she saw him begin to recover, which made her feel instantly better.
Needles can be scary, but DiNatale refers to the EpiPen as her “happy pen,” because if she is feeling sick or scared while having an allergic reaction, it makes her feel better quickly, just like it did for her brother that one time.
In the DiNatale home, milk, eggs, and other products are kept separate for the one child who can eat dairy. Snacks are separated for each child, and they eat in a special area in the house to limit the risk of a reaction. Kristin DiNatale, Nadia’s mother, said family and friends have helped accommodate her children’s food allergies. When there is a “safe party,” she supplies all the food and snacks because she doesn’t want to take chances. But, her children’s food allergies are severe and oftentimes, without even knowing, they can break out in a rash after receiving a kiss on the check from a relative who had dairy earlier in the day. Also, at school, throwing trash away after lunch is a risk because the leftovers in a milk carton could splash out of the garbage bin and land on her child’s skin.
“There are peanut-free lunch tables, but she still sits with kids who eat stuff she is allergic to,” Kristin DiNatale said, about Nadia at school. “People want to help out, but they just don’t understand how far it goes.”
While Nadia DiNatale looks to become a FAAN ambassador, her mother hopes to see ambulance protocol changed in the state. Kristin DiNatale explained that epinephrine can’t be administered in the back of an ambulance unless the heart rate drops to a certain point. While an allergic reaction to food might affect the skin, respiratory system, and gastrointestinal system, the blood pressure might not drop below critical levels until it’s too late.
“The ambulance protocols are outdated,” DiNatale said. “I make sure I have an EpiPen on me at all times.”
Nadia DiNatale said talking about her allergies and informing others makes her feel comfortable because people then understand her and can help if she has a reaction. She wanted to share her stories with others and tell them to always be prepared.
“Allergic reactions are sneaky because a lot of times they happen when you are having fun and feeling good. It is very important for people with food allergies not to eat food without knowing what’s in it and always to carry their EpiPen,” Nadia DiNatale wrote on her FAAN nomination page. “It is also very important for all people to work together to help others to understand food allergies, and food allergy safety, so that people with food allergies can live safe and happy lives.”
For more information, including DiNatale’s nomination page, visit the Web at www.foodallergy.org and click on the Heart of FAAN link. Voting ends Feb.14.