Here in L.A. we have a radio call in show at night called "Loveline." I think it is syndicated so some of you might get it also. Loveline is run by Dr. Drew and Adam Carolla. They counsel people, mostly teens, who call in with sex or drug problems. It can get pretty funny at times.
Last night Adam was complaining he could not get peanuts on a flight from L.A. to Vegas. They then both went into a rant about how the wishes of a few control the needs of many. Dr. Drew said that PA people should just stay out of enclosed spaces (airplanes) and they treated the whole PA subject with derision.
DS called upstairs to see if I was listening. He was so angry. I got on the phone, redialed about 100 times and finally got on the air.
I was very calm, very quiet, and pretty well spoken if I do say so myself! The main thrust of my call was to remind them that because they are on the radio they have a responsibilty and a wonderful opportunity to raise public awareness of something as frightening as PA.
I told them that laughing about PA was not going to help anyone. I detailed a few of DS experiences and they were quite surprised to hear anyone can be exposed to peanuts in the air! I really think I may have made a difference with these guys.
They of course thought they had to tell my son to carry epi pens and to stay away from peanuts. I assured them that DS is fully prepared to deal with his allergies but if people on the radio find this funny then that makes DS job of protecting himself even harder.
It went well. Before I got on they said they were going to "make short work of this woman." I was tempted to hang up I was so scared but I held my ground and when we ended the call we had come to some sort of mutual understanding.
They admitted they understood how serious PA can be and how difficult it is to manage. They denied they were making fun of PA but they admitted it is much more difficult for DS to be safe than it is for them to give up peanuts for a 25 minute plane trip!
As soon as I hung up DS rushed upstairs to congratulate me. DD called immediately from college to say she had heard me and she had her hand on the phone to call the station when she heard me introduced and realized she did not need to call, her mother had taken care of it.
I suppose some could argue that DS could have handled this call himself but frankly he's fighting the battle every day. I do what I can to pave the way for him and everyone else with PA.
Peg541
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Peggy
Son 22 Allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, tomatoes, soy, milk, oats, fish.
Yahoo!
Good for you Peg541, your awesome! Did you use *66 to get through to the station?
(I love that feature)
Have a great day a give yourself a pat on the back from all of us here at pa.com.
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