Talking Allergies

Good thinking! Thanks.

_________________
Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

1,015 letters



Way to go, everyone!

_________________
Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

THRILLED to see this!!! What are your plans Gwen? Are you waiting to see how much more you get or will you send those off to Air Canada and WestJet?

_________________
Associate Editor at Allergic Living.
Allergies to all nuts and legumes except soy and green beans.

1,040
and counting

_________________
self: allergy to sesame seeds and peanuts
3 sons each with at least one of the following allergies: peniciilin, sulfa-based antibiotic, latex, insect bites/stings

Update .... We're sending the second bunch of the letters out to both sets of airline executives this week.

Representatives have confirmed the first piles have been received and are being reviewed.

_________________
Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Hi everybody,

I've posted a note about the airlines' initial replies to the campaign.

See it here: https://allergicliving.com/petitions/airlines/

_________________
Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Gwen,
Is there anything we can do to help speed up their decision making process? While it's encouraging that they are not blatantly saying "no" to our propositions I think they need to understand just how much this is needed...although you would think receiving over 1000 letters would do it! So, would phone calls help? Or something else? I feel unproductive if I just wait around for them...

_________________
Associate Editor at Allergic Living.
Allergies to all nuts and legumes except soy and green beans.

Lisa, I hear you - I, too, wish we could move them faster. But they will have their processes, and while I don't know if we're yet making inroads, I do think we've made an impression.

Over 1,000 letters was two large boxes of letters. That's a pretty powerful message that there are a lot of customers seeking more allergy accommodations.

Re reinforcing/bolstering this campaign ...

I had also approached Anaphylaxis Canada. It's my understanding that they are also in the process of sending a letter to Air Canada, suggesting that more work needs to be done on food allergy accommodations/reducing risk. That's good news.

AL has also written an article about the campaign in the upcoming Spring issue of the magazine, and published its online poll on allergies/air travel. That issue will be sent to the airline executives. AL will continue to apply pressure by providing the media with an update on our campaign (I have one interview tomorrow). We will also, as I say in my update, follow up with the airlines, asking for more complete answers to our proposals than their initial responses.

It's not a bad idea to additionally write individual letters to the airlines in support of the campaign - e.g. that you have read at Allergicliving.com that the airline is reviewing the letters - then stress the need for urgency on this important matter.

I'm going to leave that part up to you folks. And thanks again to everybody for the continued support. I remain optimistic that these accommodations are both reasonable and achievable.

_________________
Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Can I just say that to date there have been 1102 letters sent! Ouroriginal goal was 1500, so if you haven't seen the campaign, click on the link:
https://allergicliving.com/petitions/airlines/

_________________
Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

2010 NEWS

I'd been working on a follow-up plan for our Air Canada / WestJet advocacy, but a few people told me that the CTA's ruling on a few food allergy cases was imminent.

Well, it's landed. The really good news is it recognizes peanut, nut allergies as "disability", which requires Air Canada to accommodate.
The CTA is requiring an allergic buffer zone; announcements to be made only in buffer zone.

Allergic Living will have a full report about what it means in the next NewsReport.
If you want to receive it, make sure you submit your e-mail here:
http://www.allergicliving.com/eletter_index.asp (privacy: we never provide reader e-mails to 3rd parties.)

There are some caveats though on those accommodations/safety strategies. So we're not exactly breaking out champagne. But still ... it's a huge step forward from where we've been. I'm very grateful that Drs. Sussman and Vadas were giving advice to the CTA on these cases. Their expertise has clearly made a huge difference.


Whole decision is here, skip to end for ruling specifics: http://www.otc-cta.gc.ca/decision-rulin ... 0&lang=eng

It's too bad Air Canada has fought this so hard. And in the specific case of Dr. Huyer - offering a nut allergic woman a seat at the back of the 'bus' or (as she chose) in the washroom was inexcusable.

_________________
Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Thank you for your efforts in this direction! Too bad that it takes so *much* effort to win a small victory. What really gets me is the sentiment that allergic individuals should be responsible for their own medical care. No need to bother training other folks on epipen administration! I didn't read it closely enough to determine whether Air Canada is going to provide epipen training to staff??

I just skimmed through the document quickly, but from what I see, it contains an *excellent* summary of current opinion in clinical allergy and immunology by the two medical experts. worth bookmarking.

read through it more carefully. I see they rejected Dr. Sussman's recommendation of training staff in anaphylaxis management.

Saw that. Shows CTA doesn't fully grasp the nature of anaphylaxis. If I'm unconscious, I can't self-medicate.

Still see our chart (under Air Canada/emergency protocol) - http://www.allergicliving.com/documents/airlines.asp
Air Can staff does work with MedEvac docs on the ground. Training is def. a better idea, though. If teachers can do it ....

_________________
Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Canwest has published this article. Includes mention of our campaign.

http://www.canada.com/health/Canada+cre ... story.html

It's being carried in the Mtl. Gazette, Nat'l Post, Star-Phoenix and others in the Canwest newspaper chain.

_________________
Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Another article from canoe.ca
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2010/01/07/12385966-qmi.html

_________________
DS Sept 2006 - peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, eggs, coconut; contact reactions. Asthma. Many animal and environmental allergies.
DS Oct 1990 - Environmental allergies