That’s exactly what I did on my birthday a few weeks ago! I went to a bakery alone and ordered the cake slice above and enjoyed every moment. Then, like magic an Orange Dreamsicle Whoppie Pie from Inglorious Monk Bakery appeared on my doorstep (thank you Nancy) and I thoroughly enjoyed cake again for breakfast along side home grown strawberries-but this time with my family! I am feeling like the luckiest girl alive these days and eating cake for breakfast seems to feel like some sort of symbol of celebration . Even though the start of school has brought challenges, (allergen table was not set up at lunch, wrong letters home, etc.), I’m having one of those grateful kind of days again. This week things didn’t run smoothly but my food allergy homies were there for me! Talking me off of the ledge, offering words of wisdom and new ideas and solutions. I just feel like celebrating our food allergy community today and I want to eat cake again for breakfast!
Inglorious Monk Whoopie Pie and fresh home grown strawberries for breakfast!
So…thank you food allergy community for always being alive and supportive! It is so heart warming to see how many “strangers” send love, prayers and words of encouragement to people they have never met when someone posts on facebook in the No Nuts Mom Groups about Emergency Room visits. There are numerous parent education and support group leaders that I can interact with literally at any time day or night. I have new friends I’ve met this last year at the Food Allergy Bloggers Conference (FABlogcon) that I can easy say are some of my closest. I can hop online and order up Allergy Awareness lunch boxes, shirts, bags and tags for my daughter anytime (big shout out to Allergy Apparel–my go to for every school year). I’m thrilled that I can direct teachers and coaches to vetted websites such as..
- Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT)- a new wonderful parent resource
- Kids with Food Allergies-A division of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
- My long time resource Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE-formally FAAN)
- Allergy Home (best free food allergy posters on the web in my mind)
- Epi Center Medical Online EPI training course and be taken in short time efficient modules
- A Shot to Live from the University of Utah Medical School (which includes how to use both the EpiPen® and Auvi-Q®
As you can see, today I’m feeling the love and hope you all are feeling it back. Thank you for your part, big or small in our food allergy community.
One of the hardest things I find about managing both life threatening food allergies and asthma is talking to others. I hate to be the one that might be perceived as demanding, pushing or for asking too much. What I now know, fourteen years later, is that honest, clear information presented with kindness works!..
Happy belated bday fellow allergic foodie!