Its amazing to believe that we have been living allergy aware for 9 years now! I feel like I have learned so much and yet at the same time, there are so many changes that I am still learning every day!
Our story began in early 2014 when I was introducing new foods to my son. I quickly noticed small patches of irritations on his cheeks. The small patches grew larger and more inflamed. Soon they were oozing and it broke my heart. Honestly, I was often jealous of my friend’s little ones who had perfect skin. But I was determined to figure it out. We were living in Asheville, NC at the time but none of the Pediatricians could give me a diagnosis. “Fungus” said one doctor, “you know, because of the pacifier”. They loaded us up with all of these expensive topical creams. In hindsight, I should not have used most of them as they were very strong. Not good for a young baby.
Several months later, things changed professionally for me and we moved to Raleigh, NC. Jaxson needed a new Pediatrician and I went straight to Duke Medical Center in Durham, NC. After 5 minutes, Dr. Lisa Ferrari said, “oh he has food allergies, lets test him”. Sure enough, blood and skin tests confirmed Jaxson was allergic to Peanut, Tree Nut, Wheat, Soy, Egg, Corn and Coconut. We immediately cut out all of the allergens and slowly, the patches faded and then disappeared. I was blown away! I was longing for this moment but quickly realized the journey ahead. I look back and think God gave me this child because I was capable of handling this journey. The past 9 years have been filled with ups and downs but believe me, you can do it! There is no finish line, its going to be a constant ongoing awareness, but you learn, grow and become very creative.
Living Allergy Aware: Life Beyond the Label 
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