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Chelsea was diagnosed with a peanut allergy at the age of 18 months. Throughout her young life, Chelsea, with the assistance of her parents, has become a poster child for boys and girls suffering from a wide variety of sensitivity to particular foods.
Last week, Chelsea and her mom, Debbie, spent three days in Washington, D.C. meeting with lawmakers as part of the inaugural Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network Kids' Congress on Capitol Hill.
Chelsea and the other 70 school-aged boys and girls from 31 states advocated for federal funding for food allergy research while creating a better understanding of food allergies in general.
During an interview last Saturday, Chelsea said it was amazing the kinds of foods that contain peanut oils. "Chinese food and Thai cooking use peanut derivatives that can make kids like me get real sick. I get hives. I carry an epi-pen. This is serious stuff for a person allergic to a particular kind of food," she said.
Debbie Casella remembered the time when her daughter was first given a bit of peanut butter. "She was only a baby when she suddenly swelled up and suffered an anaphylactic attack. We were told to keep her away from peanut butter and when we had her tested, we discovered how serious the allergy actually was. This has become a whole new world for us, constantly asking about the ingredients in foods and carrying epi-pens. Everyone who Chelsea comes into contact with must be educated," she said.
Over the years, Chelsea was a Sears Kid's Hero as well as a poster child for the Food Allergy Network.
During the trip, Debbie and Chelsea met with Congresswoman Sue Kelly as well as legislative aides to Sen. Hillary Clinton, Congresswoman Nita Lowey and Congressman Michael McNulty. The mother and daughter asked for support for Bill H.R. 4063 that will help establish a federal standard regarding the management of children at school who are at risk to anaphylaxis.
The ambassadors advocated for the one in every 25 children with a food allergy about the need for additional education in the school setting. "We asked our representatives to be a PAL by protecting a life from food allergies and supporting the legislation introduced by Congresswoman Lowey and co-sponsored by Congresswoman Kelly," said Chelsea.
Kelly explained when approved by Congress and signed into law by President Bush, the act would direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop a policy for "managing the risk of food allergy and anaphylaxis in schools. The federal policy would then be made available to local educational agencies along with other interested parties such as teachers, nurses and school administration."
Kelly called the legislation critical. "It's needed because food allergy management strategies often differ from state to state and school to school. Such inconsistency forces parents of food-allergic children and school nurses to 'reinvent the wheel' when a child moves to a new state, attends a different school or moves to a new grade. The law will ensure that everyone is prepared for an allergic emergency."
Chelsea said once the law became effective "everyone will feel a little better about food allergies."
The Carmel Middle School currently has 10 children with a variety of food allergies. Casella said each year parents must meet with school personnel and discuss the symptoms and seriousness of the situation. "When my daughter was a student at the Matthew Paterson School, an entire set of procedures was set into place for the five years she was enrolled there. When we left, we had to start all over again. The new bill will recommend to schools that minimal procedures be set in place involving the training of not only teachers but bus drivers and other personnel. Children would become less anxious about starting school each fall. It is a win-win for kids suffering from food allergies," she said.
The American Medical Association says a food allergy occurs when the immune system mistakenly believes that a harmless substance is harmful. In its attempt to protect the body, it creates a specific "IgE" antibody to that food. The next time the child consumes that food, the immune system releases massive amounts of chemicals and histamines to protect the body. These chemicals trigger a cascade of allergic symptoms that can affect the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin or cardiovascular system.
The Food Allergy Network defined eight foods as accounting for all reactions in the U.S. including milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish.
Food-allergic reactions result in 30,000 emergency room visits each year with 150 to 200 people suffering fatal results from anaphylaxis to food.
Casella explained there was no cure for food allergy. "Strict avoidance of the allergy-causing food is the only way to prevent a reaction," she said.
For Chelsea, the trip was "really cool. It was fantastic meeting with our elected officials and also knowing that our efforts will hopefully fund more money for food allergy research so we can find out why this is happening."
Medical officials said more than 22 million people across the U.S. are inflicted with some type of food allergy.
"It's nice to know that we are making a difference," Casella said.
