A family with food allergies seeks community

Jenna Hunsinger’s daughter was 6 months old when she had her first allergic reaction — to peanuts, in the Middlebury Hannaford parking lot. A harrowing trip to the ER, a prescription for an epinephrine injector, and many tough decisions later, Hunsinger and her husband are still struggling to navigate life with a kid, now 3, who has life-threatening allergies. 

I invited Jenna — a colleague of mine at the Addison Independent — to share her experience in the hopes that it might encourage other parents and caregivers of allergy kids to reach out and share resources, stories and support. 

***

Originally, I planned to kick off this piece on the challenges of raising a child with a severe food allergy with a heartfelt personal story, painting a picture of the messy yet beautiful reality of our lives.

Some memories immediately came to mind. My daughter’s first reaction. The delicate dance of playing “Ask 20 Questions About the Cake” when we go to a birthday party. A sudden switch in manufacturing processes that turned a habitually safe product into a potentially fatal one. It turns out that I couldn’t choose just one story to delve into. I didn’t want to pick just one. Each holds a piece of our journey.

And the truth is, I’m terrified all the time. Every day feels like a minefield and we’re soldiering through, trying to outsmart the little peanut-shaped explosives peppered throughout the landscape. 

Having one food allergy can sometimes make it more likely to have others. We still haven’t given our daughter other tree nuts besides almonds, because we’re scared, but we plan to soon. When we’re ready, we have to special order the nuts from a company that doesn’t process peanuts (which is actually pretty hard to find) and give her incrementally small doses to confirm whether she’s allergic. Even if she isn’t allergic to tree nuts, cross-contact with peanuts is very high in most settings. 

We’ve adapted over the years, but our family life revolves around safety measures: scrutinizing labels, baking from scratch, avoiding certain situations, and researching allergen policies on countless websites since cross-contact labeling is optional. (Not So Fun Fact: Did you know that pet food and treats don’t require a clearly labeled allergen statement since they’re not meant to be eaten by humans? Clearly, the FDA has never met a curious two-year-old.)

Are all these precautions necessary? Absolutely. Are they exhausting? Without a doubt. With food allergies becoming more common, I’m sure many families face the same battles. If you’re in a similar situation or know someone who is, do you have advice to share? A list of safe restaurants, personal stories, or just some kind words? We’d love to hear from you to create a helpful guide for those living with food allergies and to raise awareness in our community.

Raising a child truly takes a village. Together, bolstered with community support and empowerment, we can nurture a generation of kind, resilient, and safe children.

— Jenna Hunsinger