I would like everyone to give a warm welcome to this week's feature, the Benito family from Imperial, California! Jen Benito, mother of three, has fought tirelessly every day for her 5 year old daughter, Jaylen to stay peanut free. With her daughter approaching kindergarten in the fall, Jen has the difficult task of balancing the nerves that this allergy creates with allowing Jaylen to start navigating the world alone and becoming responsible for her own safety. While this seems like a lofty task, the Benito family is definitely up to the challenge!
Me: Who in your family has an allergy, and what are they allergic to?:
Jen: My 5 year old daughter Jaylen is severely allergic to tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, etc) however, due to cross contamination in factories, we need to keep her from all peanut products! She was born with asthma and allergy problems to start with. I have a history with asthma and seasonal allergies myself and so now do all 3 of my children. So this peanut allergy just makes all of her other symptoms even worse.
Me: What is your biggest fear when dealing with the allergy?:
Jen: I have explained the severity of this issue with everyone who comes in contact with her. But because no one other than my husband and two boys seen what it can do to her, no one understands how dangerous it really is. My fear is that she will come in contact with something while I'm not with her. If someone stalls too long to give her the Epi-Pen it could cost us her life! She is about to start kindergarten this coming fall...I feel all my fears are rushing at me all at once and I'm still not sure 100% that public school is safe enough for her!
Me: How does the allergy affect you on a daily basis?:
Jen: We are always reading packaging now! Every cookie, chip, bread, juice or ice cream is checked to make sure it does not contain peanuts or manufactured in an area that produces them. We call restaurants ahead of time if their cooking ingredients are not listed online. Chinese food is always a no-no! We inform waitresses, family members, church friends, anyone who is in contact with them. She just turned 5 years old and will ask me before we leave, "Mommy do you have my Epi-Pen?" This is an every day, every moment allergy. Things you don't even expect to contain peanuts do! I myself have not had any candy containing peanuts since her outbreak.
Me: Have you or your loved one ever had a reaction?:
Jen: When she was 2 we were shopping in a mall and stopped in See's Candy. As I was making a small purchase, the clerk asked to give my kids a free sample. Bear in mind, my daughter had already been exposed to all different forms of candy...she is an eater! :) So we left the store and walked to Target (inside the mall) within 5 min or so, her face was breaking out in hives. My husband ran to get her Benadryl but by the time he got back her asthma had started. We gave her a dose but it was too late. We ran to the front and told them to call 911. My husband is an EMT so he requested that the pharmacist bring her an Epi-Pen. When he did, the store manager tried to prevent him from giving it to us because we didn't have a prescription! In the heat of the moment and scared for my daughter’s life, my husband exchanged a few unmentionable words with him and the pharmacist agreed that she needed it. So, after the pharmacist shot himself in the thumb (he was holding the Epi-Pen backward) my husband was finally able to give Jaylen the shot. By that point however, her air ways were closed and her crying had stopped. Her face was purple and her lips were almost double in size. The ambulance arrived and before leaving the parking lot, gave her two Albuterol treatments and more Benadryl. She was stable enough to transport so they took her to the local Children's hospital. There, they had to administer another Albuterol treatment along with more Benadryl....then later more medication due to her blood pressure lowering from all the meds! We were in the hospital almost overnight. The nurses asked how we knew to give her the Epi-Pen...we explained because my husband is trained...the informed us that if we would have waited for the ambulance, there would have been a huge chance she would not survived! It was one of the single most terrifying experiences of my life!! Since then she has had a few minor outbreaks. None that resulted in using the Epi-Pen, but I have to dose her up with Benadryl within the very first minutes of her reacting. We have noticed lately that she is reacting easier than before. Recently my boys came home from school and had peanut butter crackers at lunch. They gave her hugs and within a few minutes she was breaking out in hives. That was a shock that after 3 hours of them eating it, it still affected her.
Me: What has having an allergy taught you about yourself or being a parent?:
Jen: It has made me stronger than I ever thought I could be! I have to be strong and informed for her! Right now I am her advocate! I have to speak up for her to be safe. Eventually she will take a lot of that roll on herself. But overall it has made my whole family more aware and cautious about what we do. I laugh because I know when she starts school I am going to have to be one of "those" parents! I will need to call and monitor what she does. I will need to be aggressive and make sure they understand she can go from bad to worse in seconds! It is the scariest feeling in the world knowing that I can’t fully protect her! That any little exposure can turn into a hospital visit.
Me: What advice can you give to anyone who is dealing with an allergy?:
Jen: The best thing I can say is, get online and get informed!! The doctors are great at giving information...but they won’t be able to tell you everything! I was so excited when I found the PeanutAllergy.com site. None of our friends have children facing this and it is very easy to feel alone. But that's not the case. There are plenty of parents going through the same feelings you are facing. And with great sites like Samantha's we can stay informed and in touch to help each other deal. Also, always make sure your child is wearing something to identify their allergy. There are some great sites now that sell adorable bracelets and materials. They don’t have to wear those plan old boring medical ID things anymore. They can be stylish and still protected. Make sure you keep plenty of Benadryl on hand and supplies at families houses!! Make sure any caregivers have a chance to practice using the Epi-Pen and are prepared to use it if needed. Be aggressive and confident with them when explaining the severity of the problem. Honestly, there are times where I feel like I can’t handle the fears. I can still imagine her sweet little face swollen and purple...I'm not sure if that image will ever leave me. But I have to put trust in others to help keep her safe. As much as I would love to bubble her up, I know I can’t. She is such a strong little girl because of this!! I know one day she will be a major advocate in Peanut Safety and awareness! It’s just taking one day at a time and reading those labels!!?
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