To Life!

The EpiPen Emery carries

ON THE COVER

with him everyday.

On Guard from page 29

could die from this. And he was
beginning to get very anxious.
It was time to get•him involved
in his care and start to empower
him to take charge of his life'
Emery said, "Now, I read the
ingredients on everything before
I eat it, and I know what to watch
for."
Emery also wears a carrying
case every day with an EpiPen
inside.
"I also have one or two in my
backpack, and I have an emer-
gency bag and the office has one
or two:' he said. His teacher also
has one.
And Emery's parents are not
afraid to tell others about how
to keep their son,safe. "At school,
we were always the ones to push,
push, push:' Ellyn said.

he's doing something to make
people aware and to help find
a cure — instead oijust sitting
back and being afraid of food','
Ellyn said.

Team Action

Cousins Ryan Otis and Gabby
Langan both are 5 and in the
same classroom at Temple Israel's
they can serve. Their teachers
Early Childhood Center in West
and fiabysitters call us if they
Bloomfield. They also share a
have questions. And their older
potentially serious food allergy.
Ryan's allergies were diagnosed • siblings - who don't have food
allergies — are careful not .to
when he was just 1, during rou-
bring home anything Ryan and
tine testing to identify why his
mouth broke out after eating ber- Gabby can't eat."
Recently, the Otises discovered
ries in baby food."We found out
the easy way:' said his mom, Elise. there is a good chance their
youngest child, 1-year-old Jessica,
"We've heard the horror stories
has a food allergy.
of parents whose kids who were
"I ate a peanut butter cookie
diagnosed by having severe reac-

.

Ellyn, Andrew, 5, Mark and Emery Weiss, 10, work toward this summer's fund-raising walk for food

allergies.

So taking on the role of educa-
tor is a natural for Emery. "He is a
very strong leader;' Glickman said.
To coincide with Michigan's
May 14-20 Food Allergy
Awareness Week, Emery and fel-
low fourth-graders spent May 9
and 10 collecting $150 in dona-
tions toward the Aug. 26 FAAN
Walk for Food Allergy: Moving
Toward A Cure, a first-time
Michigan-based event. And the
whole thing was spearheaded by
Emery:' Glickman said.
Emery has been fund-raising
through his own Web site: www.
firstgiving.com/weiss.
"All of this lets Emery see that

tions."
The kids — both of West
Bloomfield — are in a nut-free
classroom equipped with EpiPens
and each wears an allergy alert
bracelet. "Usually at least one of
them will remember to ask if they
can eat certain foods:' Elise said.
But, at their age, parents and
teachers often do that. "Before
a party, we ask where the treats
came from',' Elise said. "Initially, I
thought it was rude to say, `Where
did you get your cake, but now I
realize it's the best thing to do.
"Most people are so good
about it:' she said. "A lot of par-
ents will call to make sure what

— away from home — and then
I kissed her," Elise said. "As soon
as she broke out on her cheek, I
knew. But because she is so little,
we're not going to have her tested
right now We're just treating this
as if she has peanut allergies. Our
life is already about watching
what the kids eat."

Beyond School

Emery Weiss' parents work con-
sistently to make sure their son is
not slighted because of his food
allergies.
As Red Wings' fans, they regu-
larly frequent the games, but just
make sure Emery doesn't sit

Norman and Carol Finkelstein

next to anyone eating peanuts.
Because Emery's allergies are
not airborne, he has been able to
fly on vacation with hi's family. -
"Ellyn just carries wipes with her
and wipes down the trays before
we sit down',' Mark said.
Some airlines, including
American, United, Northwest, Jet
Blue, Spirit, and ATA, do not serve
peanut snacks. Others like Alaska
Airlines-Horizon Air provide pea-
nut-free buffer zones.
The family has its favorite
places to eat where the wait staff
is aware of their concerns. "But
when -we go to a new restaurant,
we have to be extra careful,"
Emery said. "We talk to the man-
ager. They've always been pretty
nice about it."
Emery also plays hockey and
baseball. Ellyn and Mark let the
other parents know what snacks
they can share with Emery. .
Sometimes, an inclusion can be
created for the kids.
"At Temple Israel's May
17 Early Childhood Center's
Tzedakah Fair, we've offered
dairy-, egg-, peanut- and tree
nut-free treats for children — our
son included — who could not
otherwise even walk through the
bake sale due to their food aller-
gies," Carol Finkelstein said. "Our
baked goods are wrapped and
labeled with ingredients. Having
food allergies can cause a big
social isolation, but this is a place
where kids can go and get treats
like the other kids."
Finkelstein's' work is ongoing.
She says that no matter how
much she educates, "there is
always someone who doesn't get
it; someone who will say, `a little
bit won't hurt them."
Ellyn Weiss, too, is quick to
react to the infrequent quip of
a mother who says her child
can't live without peanut butter
and jelly. It's just another oppor-
tunity to let one more person
know, that for her child, it's just
the opposite. 7

and their children Eliana and
Ben, join Sen. Gilda Jacobs
and Gov. Jennifer Granholm in

Lansing at the 2005 signing

of the law, authored by Sen.

Jacobs, allowing children to
carry and self-administer asth-
ma inhalers and epinephrine

injectors at camps.

Allergy Laws

Two laws to protect children
with allergies were recently
passed in Michigan with the help
of Carol Finkelstein of Orchard
Lake. Finkelstein testified as vice
president of legislative affairs and
communication of the Asthma and
Allergy Foundation of America-
Michigan Chapter and . outreach
services coordinator of the Asthma
and Allergy Network, Mothers of
Asthmatics.
"The laws protect children's
rights to self-carry and self-admin-
ister their lifesaving asthma inhal
ers and epinephrine, such as an
EpiPen, at all Michigan schools and
camps," she said. "The legislation
that resulted in these laws was
introduced by Jewish legislators,
former Rep. Marc Shulman, R-West
Bloomfield, (PA 73 of 2004, the
school law) and Sen. Gilda Jacobs,
0-Huntington Woods, (PA 120 of
2005, the camp law)."
Finkelstein added, "Michigan is
only the third state in the U.S. with
a law protecting children's rights at
camp. New Hampshire and Illinois
are the other two Immediate access
to epinephrine is critical to minimize
the chance of a fatal outcome in a
severe allergic reaction."
Introduced into Congress last
year, the Food Allergy Management
Act (HR 4063), with co-sponsorship
that includes U.S. Rep. Sander Levin,
D-Roseville, calls on the federal
government to create food allergy
management guidelines for schools
to be used on a voluntary basis. It
was referred to two House commit-
tees last October.

- Shelli Liebman Dorfman,

staff writer

May 18 e 2006

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