Up Close: Allergy Blogger Maria Hardy

By Charity Corkey (Contact)

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

When Maria Hardy's daughter Ella was diagnosed with life-threatening food allergies a couple years ago, the Loudoun County mom began researching Ella's condition and available treatments.

Along the way, her family suggested that she share her experiences and discoveries, and today, Hardy regularly posts on her blog, Allergy Life in Loudoun, where her purpose is to "promote healthier living strategies for children and families managing food allergies in Loudoun County."

In this e-mail interview, Hardy talks about her daughter's food and airborne allergies, the Loudoun Allergy Network and the considerable changes the family has implemented at home to avoid allergic reactions.

Q: Your youngest daughter has severe food allergies. Tell us about how the doctors first discovered this and what parents should know when seeking medical help for kids with allergies.

A: Yes, now age 3, she has five anaphylactic (life-threatening) allergies to milk, egg, peanuts, tree nuts and garlic. We were considered lucky to have found out early at four months, when she was diagnosed with severe eczema and the pediatrician ordered blood tests that resulted high to milk, eggs and mild soy.

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Marie Hardy and her daughter Ella enjoy the nice weather in Leesburg. In her spare time, Hardy blogs about food allergies on Allergy Life in Loudoun. (Charity Corkey)

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At four months, Ella Hardy was diagnosed with severe allergies to milk, eggs and soy. Today, the three year-old must stay away from peanuts, tree nuts and garlic as well to avoid an anaphylactic allergic reaction. (Charity Corkey)

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Unfortunately, we weren't told milk and eggs were life-threatening, but told to avoid them and prescribed a skin cream to help with the eczema. After switching to a hypoallergenic formula at five months and cleared to start solids at six months, we were advised that no further allergy testing was needed.

Within two weeks, we had two major reactions, significant vomiting on bananas and large hives covering her entire leg from skin contact with possibly milk residue. Luckily, she recovered from these reactions, and we sought out a local pediatric allergist. She was fully diagnosed at seven months, we were prescribed an Epi-pen, given very brief instructions in case of another reaction, told to pick it up the same day and to carry it with us at all times.

I highly recommend requesting a referral to a pediatric allergist. For more information, please visit the [web site of the] Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN).

Q: Tell us about why you started blogging about allergy issues.

A: A family member suggested it after we had our first anaphylactic reaction while on vacation, when she was 18 months old. Within a few minutes after ingestion, she began choking and vomiting, and we were able to quickly administer the Epi-pen and call 911 to take us to the hospital. The Epi-pen is a true life saver. The relief was immediate. It was traumatizing that one minute she is fine and then the next minute she's struggling to breathe. None of the typical signs of allergic reaction, scratching or hives appeared. It just went right to her stomach and airways. I remember thinking, "How many other people are going through this?"

Q: What is the Loudoun Allergy Network? How do you and other parents in Loudoun County work together, and what is the most useful information you have learned in a support meeting?

A: Loudoun Allergy Network (LAN) grew rapidly last year from a small group of parents and is now over 100 families living with food allergies and anaphylaxis. Another mom and I schedule speakers, and the group meets bi-monthly at Loudoun Hospital to discuss various aspects of managing food allergies. We also have a Web site and Yahoo Group. We've also been able to organize a few family events where our kids can meet new friends.

I'm happy with our current medical care, but these group meetings have been key to understanding the reality of living every day with severe food allergies. Navigating safe products, allergy-friendly restaurants, birthday parties and school management has been a lot easier. Also, more experienced parents say that the meetings are important reminders to stay vigilant.

Q: Your daughter also experiences allergic reactions from some elements in the air - - such as egg protein due to cooking eggs. What changes have you and your husband made in your home to prevent these reactions?

A: We immediately eliminated all nut products from the house, but we didn't understand her airborne sensitivity until we saw it firsthand. As soon we saw she was struggling when cooking in our home, we decided together to eliminate all eggs and any form of garlic as well. Our refrigerator and pantry have been rearranged to accommodate her safety needs. It's been a team effort to keep her safe everywhere.

Q: You've written about how your family had to give up your dogs because of your daughter's allergies. Tell us about that decision and how you were able to find them homes.

A: Confirmed at diagnosis, the dog allergy was contributing to her eczema and wheezing. It was hard, but one of our neighbors was able to help out by taking one to his parents at a farm and the other went to a nice home in Maryland after I sent fliers to area humane societies. It's too bad we had to split them, but it's worked out really well.

Q: What has your experience been in trying to make the school system more aware and receptive to children with food allergies? What is the No. 1 thing schools can do to help students who have these diagnoses?

A: Loudoun County schools invited us to speak last April at the Health, Safety and Wellness Committee meeting and has been making the current guidelines more visible and, in most cases, making the schools safer for our kids. However, since there is no standard county-wide policy in regards to food allergies, the policies are left up to each principal, nurse, aides and teachers.

Schools can help the most by implementing more wellness programs for all children that encourage healthier alternatives when in the classroom and school-wide. If there is little cooperation and food is readily available, our parents need a lot of consideration from the staff and other parents to make the environment safer for our kids. Food allergies can be deadly. When the kids feel safe in school, they have the best opportunity to learn.

Q: ABC News recently aired a segment about a university study showing that some young people have lost their allergy to peanuts after the food was slowly introduced into their diets. What do you think of studies like these? Would you be willing to try something like this?

A: It is very promising, however, from what I understand from industry conferences, it's not for everyone with a peanut allergy. A leading expert had said there is a threshold and it is very low, so many people are too high of a risk and can't participate. If this is improved, then it could be great news for us, but as it stands her test results are too high of a risk. At this point, I'll be thankful someday if all we have to manage is a peanut allergy!

Q: The recent news about salmonella outbreaks from eating peanuts and pistachios has made Americans more aware of the effects that our food can have on our health. As someone who has to be concerned with food safety all the time, what would you hope that people would learn as a result of the concerns over salmonella?

A: I hope more families will find it easier to hear about food safety alerts and learn more about reading ingredient labels. Food convenience has been eliminated in our lifestyle, but many healthy foods are available.

Q: What do you and your family do for fun in Loudoun County? Any favorite spots for recreation?

A: We're out and enjoying Loudoun like everyone else. I have my daughter enrolled in several activity classes and we visit local parks, farms and pools in the summer. We try not to limit our outings because of her allergies, but we do have to assess the risk and always be prepared with our own food wherever we go.

Q: Tell us something about yourself that might surprise readers of your blog.

A: I want to learn to snowboard, and we can't wait until we can start going as a family in the next few years!

Tagged: allergy, blogging, children, health, Up Close

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