Dear White House, Sarah Jessica Parker, George Takei, Hillary Clinton and all news media outlets:
Thank you for showing my beloved life-threatening allergy community how much you care about us. Your cries of anger, frustration and disgust over the exorbitant EpiPen pricing spoke volumes regarding your concern to keep people, like my two children, safe and able to respond to a serious emergency.
Since we’re on the same page now, we need to keep the conversation going.
And quite loudly, at that.
Let’s set up a time to educate the public about life-threatening allergies and raise awareness. America is listening right now, and this is our moment to seize.
Many Americans don’t think this disease is severe and often get upset when asked for support. I understand why: each allergic reaction and protocol is unique, and there is no test to 100 percent predict how severe each reaction will be.
Confusing? You bet. This is why we have to be prepared for the worst.
The stats are growing: 1 in 13 school children have food allergies, in addition to 5 percent of adults over the age of 18.
While Congress hopefully tackles Big Pharma and pricing, let’s get busy with something better: food allergy awareness, the kind that creates the right environment to prevent allergic reactions from happening in the first place.
A few brief minutes educating the public could save someone’s life. Maybe your own. Maybe a loved one or a perfect stranger.
You see, saving a life is so incredibly easy.
I’ll tell you how we can do this. I’ll share some incredible vetted resources so good, you might get tears in your eyes. Then you reach out to your circle, as you did when you posted and/or made public comments regarding EpiPen pricing. Briefly share a few priceless tips to help our nation understand the grave nature of life-threatening food allergies and how a few simple steps can make an enormous impact.
I’m talking a return-on-your-time-investment so powerful and strong it can’t be measured, since saving a life is priceless.
Bonus idea: ask people for compassion and to respect all those who struggle with life-threatening allergies. This disease is real, serious, can kill and has killed.
Since anaphylaxis (life-threatening allergic reaction) has no cure, avoidance is simply a must. When you are not breathing, the next step is not hoping for a miracle. It is having access to your life-saving medications and for others recognizing the reaction and seeking immediate medical attention. Hard to believe, but approximately 20-25 percent of reactions at school occurred in people who had no documented food allergies – a scary stat, right?
We all need you to take that powerful ― and much appreciated ― energy you have shared over the last few days and shoot a little beam of light into helping our community and other food allergy organizations raise awareness.
So, let’s go save lives. When can we talk?
P.S. SJP, although you resigned as a spokeswoman for Mylan, I hope you continue your good work in raising food allergy awareness.
Sincerely,
Caroline Moassessi
Mother of Cyrus (allergic to peanut, tree nuts, sesame and poppy seeds) and Leila (allergic to tree nuts)
Let’s keep the conversation going www.gratefulfoodie.com.
