Our Stories e-Magazine

17 ALLERGICLIVING.COM OST OF MY FONDEST childhood memories are intertwined with food. My dad’s famous banana pancakes on the weekends, Little Debbie surprises in my school lunch box, secret candy stashes at the movie theater, and my mom’s sublime home- made pound cake for any occasion. My favorite memories of all though, are from our big, family barbecues. We spent countless hours at the park or pool with great company and even greater potlucks. There would be every kind of chip, dip, dish, side and dessert. Our hands were sticky, our bellies were full and life was just plain happy.  For the average person, that sounds like a vision. For the food-allergic person, it can be a nightmare. Unmarked, cross-contaminated foods scattered across tabletops and unwashed hands touching all of it.  I want to say I am the former in this visual, but you already know I’m the latter. What a kick in the teeth it was when both my sons were diagnosed with multiple food allergies. In the early years of their diagnosis, food was always on my mind – and not in the loving way I was accustomed to. Instead, it was more of a sick to my stomach kind of way. Food no longer felt safe, familiar or comforting. And forget about fun. For many years, everything was:  No, you can’t eat that.  No, we can’t go there. No, no, no.  And please wash your hands.  More recently, my fear climbed to an all-time high when my three young nieces and nephew moved in with us. I worried about having more kids to feed and more little hands to watch. And I fretted more than ever on: how to balance safety and normalcy for everyone. Food allergy management had become a series of “don’t do thats” for our kids. Then it dawned on me: we can still have fun. Here’s how we are creating our own new traditions. BY EMILY DUTY