Currin has been diagnosed with a peanut allergy. When he was first tested he tested positive against all nuts. Last year it was only peanuts. He went this morning to be retested and I have been praying diligently for God to heal him of this allergy.
You know that “kicked in the stomach” feeling you get when prayers are not always answered as you prayed? Well that was us this morning when we discovered Currin is still testing positive for a peanut allergy and his numbers have not dropped since last year. That’s the bad news. The good news is there will soon be a new test that will tell us without doubt whether or not he really has a peanut allergy and if so, how severe it is. Some kids can test positive for several years but will not have a “real” allergy. While that percentage is small, it is possible. So we will continue to pray.
God has this! We know He loves Currin even more than we do and Currin is safe in His hands. As frightening as this allergy is, we are secure in God’s love and mercy. We are fortunate that his allergy is not as severe as some who cannot even walk into a room where there are peanuts without having a reaction. We are blessed that Currin will not be starting kindergarten for another year and we have more control over his environment and diet. We are super blessed that our precious 3 year old little man rarely takes any new food without first asking “does this have peanuts in it?” And we are hopeful we will discover through the new testing that he has no allergy at all.
We are doing everything in our power to educate others on the dangers of peanut allergies which affect far too many children. People grow complacent or are uneducated. Children with peanut allergies must not only avoid peanuts but peanut butter; foods manufactured in a plant that also processes peanuts; peanut oils – the list seems endless. We must read the labels of everything we buy. Did you know some breads and even fruit juice bars are processed in a plant that also processes peanuts? Cake mixes often carry the same warning. Nothing is safe until we read the ingredients.
The same rule applies to eating out in restaurants and fast food places. We can only buy ice cream from specific places. McDonald’s now only offers nuts in sealed packages to avoid cross contamination. Thank you McDonald’s! We did discover today that Currin can eat Chik-fil-a. We were shocked because they use peanut oil to cook certain foods. But the doctor informed mommy with a smile that their peanut oil is free of the proteins that affect allergies so our little man got Chik-fil-a for lunch today. Thank you Chik-fil-a!!!
Many schools in the Metro Nashville area are on a campaign to eliminate all peanut products from their school. Good job Nashville and thank you! And thank you to everyone who joins this campaign to increase awareness and eliminate the products that can be life threatening to our precious children. But we need so much more!
Currin’s preschool has signs posted everywhere that no peanuts are allowed! Good, right? Yet last year Currin was given a peanut butter cup in his candy. Luckily we found it before he could eat it. Currin trusts adults to protect him but sometimes the ones charged with protecting him are negligent. So we have to continue to educate and inform. We continue to stress that Currin never, ever eats anything anyone gives him without first making sure it doesn’t contain peanuts or peanut products. We tell everyone they must read the labels before giving anything to Currin.
For now we rely on labels, packaging, benedryl, epi-pens and vigilance. But most of all we rely on prayers and God’s loving grace and mercy. And for now that’s enough.
And in the big scheme of things we are abundantly blessed. Our little man is otherwise perfectly healthy. He is a bright, funny, loving, compassionate man filled with the wonder and joy of life. He is a bright light in this sometimes dreary world and the world is a better place because he is in it. And as in all things, we know God is using all this for His glory.