Last summer, we cried along with the Giorgi family when news of their daughter Natalie’s peanut death made headlines. She died at a hospital not far from my home. One that I had mapped out for my son’s teachers in the event of an allergic reaction during an overnight camping trip in Lake Tahoe. Her story stopped time as we all anxiously waited for more news to be revealed. You see, our food allergy community not only grieves for our members, but we desperately are seeking clues of what we need to do if faced with a similar situation. We are not morbid, we want to learn all that we can. The biggest lesson I learned from young Natalie’s death was that lives were saved and her story continues to save lives by pushing us to seek out more food allergy management education. Out of death came life. I am still in awe of the Giorgi family’s spirit to save our children. Allergic Living’s Gwen Smith, posted an inspiring interview that captured the Giorgi family’s year, their incredible quest and how they are saving lives.
If you missed it, I suggest you take a few moments and read Allergic Living’s, “Finding Food Allergy Hope: Q &A with Natalie Giorgi’s Parents”.
It took me a few days before I read the article since I was convinced I would end up with damp crumpled tissues on my floor. Instead of feeling depressed, I felt the sincere and truest hope for our food allergy community and for the Giorgi family. I don’t want to share too much information and ruin your experience reading this article, but I felt lucky to be part of this community, one who is not afraid to have hard conversations, to follow up on our members and most of all, to witness such grace, love and compassion for strangers from those who are living with tragedy. Natalie’s family is raising awareness through the Natalie Giorgi Sunshine Foundation. Their foundation will keep Natalie’s spirit alive while raising awareness and working towards initiatives that will help keep kids with food allergies safe at school.
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!..