January 4, 2006
Allergy education food for thought
House bill would establish policy to manage the risk of food allergy in schools
By Kristen Hains
Special to the Herald
When Kim Rysztak rushed her three-year old daughter, Madeline, to the emergency room in anaphylactic shock from an allergic reaction to nuts, the doctor's words sent her into a shock of her own: "Two more minutes and she might not have made it." The time Rysztak might have spent at a red light was literally the difference between life and death for her young daughter.
With such a severe reaction, life would never be the same for Rysztak and her Traverse City family. However, rather than place her daughter in a bubble, she became an advocate for the safety of her children, two of whom have been diagnosed with severe allergies to nuts
Keeping your children safe may seem an easy task when they are under your constant 24 hour care, but what about once they start school? According to The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) peanut allergies in children have doubled in the past five years. The number of Americans with food allergy has increased from 6 million to approximately 11 million.
Parents aiming to keep their food allergic children safe at school may soon get a bit of help from Washington lawmakers. In October, H.R. 4063 was introduced in the House of Representatives. The bill aims to establish a policy to be used on a voluntary basis to manage the risk of food allergy and anaphylaxis in schools and to make such policy available to local educational agencies and other individuals.
More immediate assistance for parents of children with food allergies comes by way of The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA). According to FAAN, the legislation, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2006 requires the presence of a major food allergen be declared in the ingredient list. This must be accomplished via the word "contains" followed by the name of the major food allergen (such as milk, wheat or eggs) or a parenthetical statement in the list of ingredients. For example, albumin must have (egg) following it in a list of ingredients.
FALCPA defines "major food allergens" as milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts and soybeans.
Kim Rysztak is a perfect example of how, with proper steps, even a child with the most severe allergies can lead a very normal life. Each year, just before school starts, Rysztak holds an in-service with all the members on staff at her children's school. Her tools: EpiPens and oranges. The oranges act as the child and the teachers learn, hands on, how to administer the EpiPen. As Rysztak knows, the precious minutes school personnel might spend reading the EpiPen directions during a reaction could literally mean the difference between life and death.
"I talk to them about peanut allergy and honestly I try to scare them," she explained. "I tell them 'you're going to be the one who has to save their life.'¡"
She warns of the warning signs of a reaction, such as swelling lips, hives and difficulty breathing.
One important key is the "action plan," something that FAAN strongly encourages parents to create. Rysztak actually creates a box that has everything in it necessary to address the issue. The action plan box includes a photo of her child and a step-by-step plan for addressing a reaction. This plan includes symptoms, protocol for how to treat and instructions for administering the EpiPen. Even though she has trained the staff on the proper way to administer the EpiPen she has a bullet point 1-2-3 instruction in the box for how to use it.
"In a crisis situation you can forget how easy it is to administer the EpiPen," she explained.
In addition to the box, which is kept in the school office, she also has a "fanny pack" with all the same information that her kids can have on them in case they are traveling to an area of the school where they are too far from the office.
Anne Munoz-Furlong, director of FAAN agrees that the action plan is an essential part of keeping a child with food allergies safe.
"We must educate the staff and plan ahead," she said, "This is not an 'if' but rather 'when' it will occur."
She says the new legislation will help all schools to be prepared and to ensure uniformity throughout the United States ensuring that even if a child moves from one school district to another, the same steps will be in place.
"We have taken the lead to make sure all schools are prepared," she said. "The goal is that in every school, whether public or private, every child with a food allergy is surrounded by people who know how to prevent a reaction.
Until such a program is in place, Rysztak continues to educate the school herself. At the beginning of the school year, the Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools, where Rysztak's children are enrolled send home a letter reminding other parents about the food allergies, explaining the severity and even providing Rysztak's phone number if parents have questions.
Rysztak has a strict rule about her children not eating any food at school unless she sends it. Sometimes that means preparing food for the entire class. For example when the school has its Friday popcorn sale, Rysztak provides popcorn for the entire class. Because the popcorn machine travels throughout the school district, there's no way to be certain that someone hasn't used peanut oil in the machine. Even though her own children might refrain from eating the popcorn, it is a danger for them to be in touch with the other children in their classroom who would have consumed this popcorn and have the oils on their fingers.
While this may seem like a lot of extra work for Rysztak, she feels it's only fair.
"The way I look at it is when you're asking them to go out of their way for my kids, I have to be willing to do the same," she said.
In the cafeteria she says the lunch ladies are all familiar with her kids and they have specific "peanut free" tables where her children eat.
Rysztak has had little problem with other parents complying, though there have been a couple of occasions where parents have made an issue of the "no peanut" restriction in the classroom.
She has had parents tell them that peanut butter is the only thing they can get their child to eat. "If your child only eats peanut butter, it's a parenting issue," she explained.
"I know it's cheap and a good source of protein," she continued, "but it can also kill people."