Caroline: Welcome to FAACT's Roundtable, a podcast dedicated to navigating life with food allergies across the lifespan. Presented in a welcoming format with interviews and open discussions, each episode will explore a specific topic, leaving you with the FAACTs to know or use. Information presented via this podcast is educational and not intended to provide individual medical advice. Please consult with your personal board certified allergist or healthcare providers for advice specific to your situation.
Caroline: Hi, everyone. Today's podcast is extra special as FAACT's President and CEO Eleanor Garrow-Holding will be your host. Eleanor has been managing food allergies in her home for over 20 years, and her passion and dedication to support her son, Thomas, through food allergy, education, awareness, and advocacy grew into the fact organization that we know. Today, Eleanor sits down with entrepreneur, athlete, and mom of two children living with food allergies, Brittany Mahomes, to explore her game plan for keeping her family safe and ready for quick action. Thanks for joining us for a noteworthy episode of FAACT's Roundtable podcast.
Caroline: Before we start today's podcast, we would like to take a moment to thank Kaleo for their kind sponsorship of FAACT's Roundtable Podcast. We also would like to thank them for the support we received over the years.
Eleanor: Welcome, Brittany, to FAACT's Roundtable podcast. I'm so excited you are here with us today.
Brittany: Thank you. Thanks for having me.
Eleanor: Of course. So we're just going to get started with some wonderful questions here. Brittany, you've been on quite a journey with food allergies, especially within the last few months. Can you share with us what happened not long ago when your youngest, Bronze, experienced an unexpected allergic reaction? Yeah.
Brittany: So, obviously, I have history of allergic reactions with my oldest daughter, who just turned three. Her name's Sterling, and we kind of went through a reaction when she was about, you know, nine to ten months. So I felt like with bronze, I was a little bit more aware and a little bit more skeptical about introducing him to new stuff. And so we were doing, you know, like an early introduction thing so I could, you know, know what we're doing, be aware of what was going on. And we had went through milk, we had went through eggs, and this was our first day of peanuts. You know, it was a little powder that you mix into his bottle. He drank his bottle, and I would say within an hour, he began to get super fussy. Um, well, that's normal for, you know, a nine month old, because at any moment, they could get fussy about anything. Um, and so I thought, you know, maybe he's just tired. Let's go start bedtime a little bit early. And so I took him into the bath, and I took his diaper off, and that's when I realized he had completely broken out into hives and welts, then his diaper area. So I hadn't noticed that out there. I got him into the bath, you know, thinking that might calm things down and help things a little bit. And it only, you know, began to escalate. So he was screaming, super uncomfortable, super irritable, and it then began to move, you know, to his stomach and then to his arms. And then it got up to his neck and quickly, you know, started to cover his face. And so I, you know, as a mom, my daughter was right there watching me. And so little eyes are washing. And in this instance, as a mom, I think it's important to, you know, remain calm. Calm and know what's going on. And so we actually did have an Auvi-Q with us because that's what we carried for Sterling. And so I did have that epinephrine if I needed it. But I was able to get some Benadryl down him, and he began to calm a little bit. And then, you know, that's when we decided to go to the emergency room and just make sure everything was okay. And, you know, they hooked him up. His heart was okay. He was breathing okay. And I finally could take a deep breath and relax a little bit, but definitely not easy to. For something to go through. You know, as a parent, your first thought is, oh, my gosh, his throat's going to close up and you instantly begin to panic. But knowing I had my Auvi-Q and I kind of been through a little bit with Sterling, I was a little bit more aware and felt confident in the situation. But it's definitely not easy as parents to see your kid in pain and be, you know, that uncomfortable.
Eleanor: That brings back a lot of memories for me, having you speak to that. Because my son, Thomas, who's turning 21 in a couple of months, he was 19 months old when he had an anaphylactic reaction to pecans at a family birthday party with no family history. And I had no idea what was going on. And we ended up in the ER. And three doses of epinephrine, oxygen, heart and lung monitors, hives, head to toe, eyes swollen shut, lips like, it's the scariest thing. And I was five months pregnant with my daughter Anne, and I thought, oh, my gosh, what is happening? This is, is she going to have food allergies as well? And it was the scariest day of my life, so I can definitely relate. And then of course, thankfully, you already had some of that education and you knew what to do, which is great. And, I mean, we've come such a long way since that was, you know, over 20 years ago with our epinephrine options, and so glad we have more options today. And Aviq is what my son carries as well and has since he was a teen. I feel like for the males, they definitely love the size of the Auvi-Q as well and that it's voice activated, so it's really a great device.
Brittany: Yeah.
Eleanor: Okay. We know you take food allergy seriously as you took your passion to help other families to the next level by creating the food allergy game plan with Auvi-Q. Can you tell our listeners a little bit about why you believe a game plan is a great way to approach managing a busy family with food allergies?
Brittany: Yeah, I think game plans are huge in our family, and I think, you know, staying prepared and always thinking ahead is what's most important. And having that game plan, you know, ingrained in your head for just, you know, your everyday life. And we are. We are very busy and we're always on the go and we're always doing things. So we're always having to look forward, look ahead, and be prepared for anything that could come. So, you know, plan for the worst. Plan for the best. Make sure you always have what you need to keep your kids protected and safe, and packing more than enough snacks, making sure they have food that they can eat, you know, for breakfast, lunch and dinner if you are out and about and you aren't sure that you know what's going to be available. So I think just staying on top of stuff, staying prepared and, you know, having that game plan wherever you go is super important for us and always has been. You know, in our family, we did.
Eleanor: The same as, well. The safe snacks, making sure everyone who came into contact with Thomas was educated and aware and knew what to do in case of an emergency.
Brittany: Yeah.
Eleanor: Let's explore a few highlights from the food allergy game plan, such as educating your caregivers by using sticky note reminders. What a clever idea to keep safety at the forefront of everyone's mind. Can you share with our listeners how you use these sticky notes?
Brittany: Yeah. So we're huge about labeling things and making, you know, anyone that does enter our house or anyone that's around us aware of, you know, ingredients mainly. So we still eat some things, you know, that may not be safe for the kids or, you know, our chef may use something in a meal that, you know, the kids can't reach. So labeling everything. And then again, you know, with Bronze, he only has a nut allergy, so he can tolerate milk and eggs. Well, Sterling cannot do milk and eggs. So keeping our kids snacks separated, we have an area that's labeled with what both of them can eat. And then we have bronze, and then we have sterling. And that goes into the diaper bag. It's keeping sure everything is labeled wherever we go. And then when we pack to go on the road, it's putting sticky notes and labeling everything that's safe for our kids. What's not safe for Sterling, what's safe for Bronze? And, you know, because if anyone does, you know, come into our house or interact, also, another reminder saying, you know, our kids have these allergies. They cannot eat this and, you know, stuff like that. So just, it's another level of safety and awareness for other people and everyone around us, too. Again, remember that our kids do have allergies, and they cannot eat everything that's out there. I love that.
Eleanor: It kind of reminds me of, we had shelves by child because my daughter didn't have any food allergies. So this is her food away from Thomas's food. So we did something very similar. I could probably talk to you for hours on all of this.
Brittany: Yes.
Eleanor: Another highlight in the game plan is know the signs and symptoms. It appears that you truly understood this when you recognized bronze's allergic reaction. You've mentioned publicly that a severe reaction may not look how you think it should look. And you print copies of the signs and symptoms guides from Auvi-Q to share. Can you explain what you meant about reactions not looking like one might expect and how the printout helps you feel ready to take quick action?
Brittany: Yeah. So signs and symptoms, you know, vary from kid to kid, and what you think might be an allergic reaction may not actually be allergic reaction. And, for instance, Bronze, his reaction began with him just being fussy and irritable. And kids that cannot talk like, could be fussy and irritable about anything. You know, they could be hungry, they could be tired. It could range from anything. So just educating on yourself about the huge range of symptoms and signs that can come from kid to kid. And each kid is different. So even in age and gender, and as they get older and two adults, you know, symptoms are never the same. And they, they vary from kid to kid and age to age. And so just, you know, as a parent of two kids who have food allergies, you have to be aware of anything that could happen, and you have to be educated on anything that could happen and know that they all look different.
Eleanor: They do. And every reaction is different, which is why we always tell everyone, be prepared, no matter what, and know the signs and symptoms. It's so important.
Brittany: Yeah. For Sterling's, her reaction was, you know, completely different from Bronze, and they were the same age, but they were both completely different. And she just began to throw up and begin to sneeze. And so at any instance, you know, it could be the stomach bug, it could be something else. And so I think just knowing that they're all different, and Bronze's was a lot different than Sterling's, and so just being aware of that and knowing that it could vary from anything.
Eleanor: And we know parents and caregivers sometimes feel uncomfortable bringing up food allergies for fear they might sound demanding or burdensome. Talking mom to mom, what helps you feel empowered to speak up to others about your children's food allergies?
Brittany: Yeah, I think this is one of, you know, my huge messages that I wanted to get out and partnering with Auvi-Q, with getting my voice out there and, you know, making other moms and parents confident and advocating for their kids. You should never feel bad for speaking up for your kids safety. As a parent. It's your job to keep them safe and protect them and, you know, advocate for themselves if they can't yet, and teach them advocacy. So when they do get older, they know how to advocate for themselves. So I think that's huge. And what me speaking up and telling my story and using my voice is letting other parents know that food allergies are not that bad. And it's okay if your kids have them, and it don't feel bad for speaking up and talking about them and letting everybody else know about the situation. You should never feel bad for it, and you should never feel, you know, less than. You gotta be confident. And knowing that these are your kids and you're gonna do anything for them and their safety is a part of that.
Eleanor: Absolutely. And it's something that we do day to day. Even I'm still doing it, and Thomas is almost 21. You know, we're always advocating and raising awareness for our children, young adults, and anyone affected by food allergies and anaphylaxis. Education is key. It's so important. And having that awareness out there is huge. And so I can't thank you enough for all the awareness that you and your family are doing. We are really greatly appreciative of your support and the awareness that you're doing. It's amazing. Before we wrap up today. Is there anything else you would like our listeners to hear from you?
Brittany: Yeah, again, you know, back to this message. I just want all these moms and parents and people out here dealing with food allergies to know that it's okay and it's not that bad. And, you know, to focus on the positive and not always think about the negative. And be confident in advocating for your kid and don't ever feel sorry about that. And, you know, speaking up for your kids is part of being a parent. And you want to teach your kids that so when they get older, they can advocate for themselves. So don't ever feel bad for it. Be confident and know that it is normal and it is okay. And there's a lot of other information and resources all about food allergies on foodallergygameplan.com. if they do want to go on there and read all of that information and resources, that's great, Brittany.
Eleanor: Thank you so much.
Brittany: Of course. You guys have a good day.
Eleanor: Thanks. You too, Brittany.
Caroline: Before we say goodbye today, we just want to thank Kaleo one more time for their kind sponsorship.
Caroline: Thank you for listening to FAACT's Roundtable Podcast. Stay tuned for future episodes coming soon. Please subscribe, leave a review and listen to our podcast on Pandora, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio and Stitcher. Have a great day and always be kind to one another.