We are hosting a large scale business to consumer expo dedicated to providing the best and most effective products, services and informational support for people suffering from food, skin, respiratory, environmental, eye and latex allergies as well as for people with Celiac Disease. THRIVE offers attendees the opportunity to purchase allergy-specific products, a Marketplace Forum where attendees can view demonstrations and sample products, a Health Living Forum where renowned medical physicians and professionals will discuss food allergies and Celiac Disease, a Gluten-free & Free-From Cooking Stage and a bookstore.

I hope this event information is helpful and that THRIVE can help you connect with food allergy resources, education and relief.

It is extremely difficult for a young child to advocate for themselves in a school full of uneducated staff and students. My child at that young age knew that he couldn't eat certain things but also counted on the adults not to feed him unsafe foods. So when a teacher gives this child food in the classroom and tells him it's safe, is a 6 year old really going to dispute that? The administration owes it to that child and every other child to provide a safe environment, just as they would provide a safe environment for a child with any other special needs.

We are one of the lucky families, as our child has shown an improvement every year in his allergy testing. Can he eat peanuts, no. However he will probably not die from ingesting them accidently. My child is no longer touch sensitive to milk. That is also a milestone. Milk has actually been the hardest of the allergies to overcome since it is in so many more foods than peanuts (and then to have to worry about cross-contamination-ugh)!

It isn't until you've watched your child struggling to breathe as the throat instantly closes (from the slightest particle of the allergen) that you realize how serious food allergies really can be. Not everybody has them this seriously, but many do, and many more will.

When the administrators have to ask me "what is the worst thing that can happen to your child?", I know there is badly needed education for them. Until there is better education how do i confidently trust these educators (who allow these foods in the classroom) to make sure my child keeps breathing on their watch?

I wanted to thank you for this story. My son and niece both have severe peanut allergies and for people who don't understand it's really hard. They think you are being paranoid when all you are doing is protecting your children. It helps to have great writers that know first hand what this is like.

You interviewed me back in June for my story and I wanted to thank you again. I'm a big fan. Stay safe!

Here's the link from my interview with you

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/06/10/childrens.vision/index.html

Thanks again Elizabeth!

Kelly H.

I didn't know I was sick due to food, because I was always sick and I thought that constant diarrhea was "normal".

Over time the food allergies grew more severe.

Now I react to severe foods just by inhalling them within hundreds of feet, including Popcorn and Olive Oil.

People tell me I am overreacting to my fear of Popcorn all the time. Even after they PURPOSELY expose me to it and I am dragged off to the ER AGAIN for Anaphalyctic Shock. My co-workers used to cook Popcorn all the time because it was "forbidden". Including the HR director.

So any article that diminishes people with food allergies puts my life further at risk.

I recently (yesterday) got turned down as a volunteer, because the projects they are working with have a lot of Corn in them and one would airsole the Corn.

Food allergies can be horribly isolating. I can no longer work outside my home due to them and people's unwillingness to respect my life by not eating Popcorn around me. I have been told that my Food Allergies make me unemployable by HR directors across the state I live in.

The only thing that bothers me is that more and more schools are instituting peanut-free zones, or are banning peanut products altogether.

I ask – what about my daughter? What about kids allergiec to milk or eggs, or fish? But don't get me wrong – I do not ask these questions in the context that I think there should also be egg-free zones and milk-free zones... What I think is that these well-meaning bans are a disaster waiting to happen.

I worry that creating so-called "safe" zones will lead to a culture of complacency where educators won't be on the lookout for danger because the offending item is "banned". Let's be real – kids are cruel. The instant someone finds out little Mary is allergic to peanuts is the instant they try to find a way to sneak one into her sandwich.

I would feel far more comfortable sending her to a school where there is an epipen in every room, where teachers are trained to look for signs of a reaction, where children are taught not to share foods, and to wash hands after eating than I would EVER feel at a school with so-called "allergy free" zones.

Mr. Stein complains about Yuppie parents who mistakenly think their kids have food allergies, then he complains about these parents having their kids tested. Mr. Stein suggests the tests will "freak kids out". It is very likely that these children have some other type of food sensitivity (like lactose or celiac) that is confusing their parents. Testing might lead them to the right answer.

Yes, some schools do restrict nut foods, usually they are preschools and very young grades. Every school is unique and must develop a plan that will work best for them. It is perfectly reasonable for a teacher not to want anything in the classroom that could be a danger to any of the children. In a classroom with severely allergic children, peanuts are a danger that become one more thing to worry about. Should society discriminate against the allergic children just because they are a minority?

The only thing I imagine about my daughter's food allergy is a cure. If Mr. Stein could only know the amount of time I've spent retracing my steps, wondering if something I did caused her allergies, the terrible pain she's endured, and the lengths we go to to help her. If he had even an ounce of compassion, perhaps then he wouldn't try to profit by kicking people when they are down.

My 2nd grade daughter is an infinitely braver person than Mr. Stein could ever be.

Rebecca