I hope this story will help all of you dealing with PA in that it illustrates yet another product to watch for...I have a three year old daughter, named Kassidy. She first alerted us to PA at around 12 months when she had a reaction to a lick of peanut butter. We were completely unaware of the allergy and danger and she had only a mild reaction and no breathing problems. In the fall of 1999 I took her to a grcery store grand opening and they had free food samples around the store. One of these stations was passing out "choclate bar bites". I was about to make a HUGE mistake. I asked the girl if it was just choclate and she said it was a slim fast choclate bar. I didn't ask to see the label , I just said ,ok. My daughter ate the "choclate and we shopped. Thirty minutes later, we were home unloading groceries when she started to cough persistantly. My wife, she's the best, started quizzing me and I told her she had only had a piece of choclate. We were starting to think she had swallowed a sticker from the book she was playing with. We were looking down her troat and I was convinced it could not have been PA because of the time that had elapsed between the choclate and her reaction. Stupid delay. Her breathing got labored and we rushed to the nearest clinic. The Doctor took one look at her and ordered the Nurse to call an ambulance while he admistered an Epy pen. He then sent me back to the store to get a label for the choclate. I was terrified. I looked at Kassidy and she was getting a little better and the ambulance arrived as I was leaving. At the store the girl gave me a wrapper and I scanned the contents. There it was, defatted peanut flour. I can't tell you how guilty, terrified and stupid I felt. The world's worst father it seemed. On the way to meet my family at the hospital, I was informed that she was doing better via cell. Her color was coming back and she would be ok. When I arrived my wife and I were in tears. We fought for 8 years to have a baby and we were both so scared. We made alot of mistakes that day. Especially me. Now we have multiple Epi Pens, we know where the emergency room is and check everything for contents. We are so scared about the future, school, friends, etc. It can happen so easily. The other day she started getting a small reaction just because another kid was eating a peanut cracker snack nearby!!! I hope our story will help someone become more aware of how easily something innocent can become life threatening! Stay away from the Slim Fast bars!! If I had only asked to read the label. Also, get a medic alert bracelet and turn friends and family on to this site.
Hi Eric,
I almost cried reading your story. We all have made those mistakes in one way or another. Please don't be hard on yourself and now you are more aware and will be more prepared. Thanks for the warning on Slim Fast bars. Lisa