An average car weighing 4,000 lbs can’t run without a spark plug, which only weighs a few ounces. It’s fascinating how one little spark can propel a huge machine forward. The Chinese Medicine Food Allergy Crowdrise Fundraiser is a small donor spark plug that is working hard to keep food allergy research car driving in the right direction. This fundraiser has hit its goal (actually, exceeded by over $2,000)! A first in our food allergy research world! We need the government’s millions of dollars invested for research no doubt, but to witness this type of passion and drive to keep Dr. Xiu-Min Li’s Traditional Chinese Medicine Food Allergy research moving forward is simply stunning. This fundraising effort was a grand display of what happens when spirited individuals see a problem and move forward towards solutions. People were invited to create teams to donate funds for the work of Dr. Xiu-Min Li, a Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and world leader in her use of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to treat food allergies, has been developing clinically proven and patented herbal formulations for over ten years.
The Need. At this juncture, Dr. Xiu-Min Li needed a good biomarker or blood test for food allergies. Current testing is not accurate and food challenges are costly and sometimes emotional traumatic. She needed a different test and this funding will help her develop a new test. The bottom line is that living with life threatening is a serious challenge, nerve-wracking and costs billions annually. Solutions are needed more than ever. Fifteen million American living with life threatening food allergies need answers as the prevalence of this disease continues to grow.
Kudos. Bravo to Selena Bluntzer, founder and author of the blogsite Amazing and Atopic and Susan Weissman, author of Feeding Eden-the trials and triumphs of a food allergy family, for leading the charge! Selena shared, “every contribution, no matter the amount, was a “vote” of confidence in Dr. Xiu-Min Li and her vision and designs for what I feel will result in a real cure for food allergies”. Also offering support was our beloved Henry Ehrlich, author of Asthma Allergies and Children, who, in the spirit of fundraising, agreed to don a polka dot shower cap for a photo-op! “Helping find a novel way to fund groundbreaking research with the potential to help thousands of kids? Feels pretty good,” Henry explained the day after the good news was released.
Action. In celebration, Susan explained, “reaching this goal is emblematic of even more than the strength and cohesiveness of our food allergy community. For me, it represents that our community has the means to exert choice in which aspects of food allergy treatment will be studied. Our community can have an active, not passive, role in creating the clinical trials and studies that they want for their children”. Susan’s sentiments speak volumes regarding the power of concerned citizens. Selena, Susan, Henry and their “team members” have unlocked the door to being heard, voicing choice and need.
I can’t help but wonder, who is listening right now to these voices?
Congratulations to Selena and Susan who worked tirelessly, Henry for his support and advise, Office of Development at Mt. Sinai Health System, their Crowdrise team members and most of all, to those who donated to make a statement and to be part of the solution.
Natural Disaster with Food Allergies
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!..
Thanks for spreading the news!
I think I missed seeing that shower cap photo!?
Thank you, Caroline! We are still doing happy dances whenever we think about having reached our goal! This could not have happened without the kind and generous donors! 😀
Selena, you have all done an amazing job and you should be doing happy dances all month long! What a wonderful way to kick off Food Allergy Awarness Month!
Thanks for this post!
You are very welcome! This has been a great feat!