A walk to raise awareness for food allergies attracted 1,000 people to Southside Park in Sacramento on Sunday morning, Sept. 15, in light of a local teenager’s recent death after an allergic reaction to peanuts.
Food Allergy Research & Education, a national McLean, Va.-based nonprofit organization, held its first walk in Sacramento to raise funds for research, such as finding a cure, and education, such as training restaurant employees about food allergies.
The walk had a somber feeling, with the community supporting the family of Natalie Giorgi, a 13-year-old from Carmichael who died last July after taking a bite of a Rice Krispies treat that contained peanuts at Camp Sacramento. She had an allergy to peanuts.
“We all have the same hope that one day there is a cure and that no family has to suffer the loss that we have,” said Joanne Giorgi, Natalie’s mother.
The walk was dedicated in Natalie’s honor, with many participants wearing T-shirts for the Natalie Giorgi Sunshine Foundation, an organization her family started in her memory to raise awareness of food allergies. With the coincidence of Natalie’s recent death and the FARE walk, Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) proclaimed September as Food Allergy Awareness Month in California.
“Today has really two emotions,” said John Lehr, CEO of FARE. “It’s sadness for the Giorgi family who have lost their daughter and hope that we can bring awareness to food allergies.”
There are 15 million Americans living with a food allergy, including 1 in 13 children, according to FARE. Eight foods account for 90 percent of all food allergies: wheat, cow’s milk, egg, soy, fish, shellfish, tree nuts and peanuts, which, for many children, could cause anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal allergic reaction. In case of an allergic reaction, a person with a food allergy can use an epinephrine autoinjector, commonly known as an EpiPen, to alleviate life-threatening symptoms like difficulty breathing. And in many cases, a trip to the emergency room is still necessary for treatment.
A FARE report found the peanut allergy in children tripled between 1997 and 2008.
“It honestly sucks,” said Noah Ruiz, 11, about being allergic to peanuts. “It’s not great. You’re not able to really eat anything with peanuts. You can’t do certain things. It’s not great. You always have to check your food.”
As an Elk Grove resident, Noah just started the school year with the school district mandating all its elementary schools to stop serving products with peanuts at lunch, a measure the school district immediately passed after news of Natalie’s death. Several schools in Elk Grove and other local districts like the Sacramento City Unified School District and Twin Rivers Unified School District already served school lunches without peanuts for years.
Walnut Creek resident Kim Brown said she had to make the hourlong drive to participate in the walk, since her 2-year-old son, who’s allergic to peanuts, sesame and egg, made her passionate about food allergy awareness.
“It’s difficult for me, even for grocery shopping,” said Brown. “Did a kid in the park just have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and did my kid just touch it? It’s anxiety as a parent.”
As with peanuts, some kids develop an allergy to milk during infancy and don’t grow out of it. That was the case for Priya Balasubramanian’s son.
“If he took a sip of milk, he would go into anaphylactic shock,” said Balasubramanian, who’s the coordinator for Food Allergy Support of Sacramento. “We would have to call 911.”
While working as a gastroenterologist at Kaiser Permanente, Balasubramanian said she learned about a treatment to desensitize the milk allergy in children. So in 2008, she and her family went to Italy for her son to start the treatment. Her son, almost 13, has a milder allergy to milk as well as allergies to peanuts and egg.
The family-friendly walk raised over $48,000, above the $40,000 goal. The funds will support FARE’s mission to provide education and resources, advocate for policies, invest in research and increase awareness.
“It’s nice to really see families who fight this battle every day,” Brown said. “As a mom, it’s reassuring. Sometimes, you feel so isolated.”
FARE will hold its Bay Area walk in San Jose on Oct. 12.
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