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Our Team Shares A Passion For Creating Community
 
I  knew  nothing about food allergies  despite  my background  in healthcare  administration.  He was  covered  in  hives  from  head  to  toe.  His eyes were  now swollen  shut.  His  lips  were  swollen,  and he was coughing  constantly  and  gasping  for  air.  A  doctor  took  him  from  my  arms and laid  his small  body  on  a  hospital  gurney.  Emergency  Department  staff  gave  Thomas  three  doses  of  epinephrine  plus  an  antihistamine  and  steroids.  They  hooked  him  up  to  heart  and lung monitors and gave him an oxygen mask. About three hours later, Thomas started  to look himself  again.  I  had  so  many questions  and  worries  going  through  my head. We have no  family  history  of  food allergy! Is  my new baby going  to have food allergies,  too?  Nobody  I  knew had  food  allergies  or  a  child  with  food  allergies.  I  was beyond  scared  and  felt  so alone.  Thankfully,  Thomas  had  a  restful  night.  
You Know Whats  Coming Next
Next,  I  called  Lurie  Children’s  Hospital  of  Chicago  to  schedule  an  appointment  for  allergy  testing  and diagnosis.  Thomas  tested  positive  for  all tree nuts, peanut,  and  sesame.  I  learned  that  we  were  not  alone  in  this  new  world  of  food  allergies.  Many  food  allergy  support  groups  are  around  Chicago  but  none  were  in our  area,  so  I started  educating  myself  and  my  family  about  food  allergies  and  anaphylaxis.  I  resigned  from  my  job  because  I  did  not  trust  anyone to care  for  Thomas.  I traveled  to attend  support  group meetings and meet other food allergy parents.  I  met  amazing  people  who  mentored,  educated,  and  supported  me  during  my  food allergy  journey.  My mom,  a  registered  nurse,  was  our  biggest  supporter.  I  started  a  food  allergy  support  group  in  the  county  where  I lived.  Families  really  needed that  support.  Meetings were in  person  with  expert  guest  speakers.  Parents  loved socializing  with  families  that  shared  the same  life  experiences.  Life Is Just A Breath Away
I  would  not  let food allergies define Thomas or  hold  us  back  from  living  life,  and  I  wanted  every  family  to have that same opportunity. It’s all about  the  education!  For  every  challenge  we  faced,  I  knew  thousands  of  other  families  were  going  through  the  same  thing.  No  one  should  have  to  make  this  food  allergy  journey  alone.  We  have  team  members  spearheading  diversity  initiatives  and  outreach  to  underserved  communities  of color, working with local advocates to pass legislation, and  growing  the community of  support groups for people with food allergies. Every person on our team shares a passion for creating  community  and  engaging  that  community  for  the  common  good.  I  taught  Thomas  how to advocate for himself at a  young  age,  and  he  has  always  been his own best  advocate.  I  am  so proud  of  him!  When  one  member  of  the  family  has  food  allergies, it  affects  the  entire  family.  Thomas  stayed in school and graduated high school this spring. Thomas outgrew his allergy to peanut, sesame, and almond. We still have to avoid all tree nuts. My message  to food allergy families is that you are not alone. These connections keep me going every day, knowing that there  are  always  going  to  be  new  families  facing  new  food  allergy  challenges.  Keep Moving Forward
We  are  all  in  this  together.  I  share her goal of keeping us alive and  thriving  with  food  allergies  and  am so thankful her  organization  exists.  It  helps  people  of all ages, all over the world,  feel  confident  and  informed.  Next,  let’s  meet  Sarah  Cronk.  It’s  been  wonderful  to  watch  Sarah  over  the  years evolve into who she is today and will be moving forward. Instead of a living room, we had a  classroom.  This  is  a  refrigerator.  During  the  summer  months  when  Charlie  and  I  were  in  elementary  school,  our  family  hosted  Rain  or  Shine,  a  makeshift  summer  school  led  by  Charlie’s  therapists,  where neighborhood friends  came  together  in  our  basement  for games, activities,  and snacks. Our house was usually  brimming  with  young  people  having  fun together.  The  family’s  quest  to ensure  Charlie’s  maximum participation and inclusion  at  home,  in  school,  and in extracurricular  activities  was woven into  our  everyday  existence. For  several  years, the formula  we  created  worked.  Charlie’s  growth  and  social  development exceeded  everyone’s  expectations  and  we were all relatively happy. Over time, however,  as  Charlie  and  I  grew  older and  entered  junior  high,  creating  socially  inclusive  opportunities  proved  to  be  more  challenging.  It’s  another  to  attempt  to  orchestrate  friendships  for  a  teenager.  By the  time  we  entered  high  school,  social  inclusion  had  become  elusive.  Charlie  is  extremely  smart,  and  with  a  few accommodations  he  handled  the academic  demands  of high school without much trouble. He stopped  wanting  to  go  to school. A  family, we  were  flailing.  Then  something  unexpected  happened.  Within  weeks,  Jared  convinced  Charlie  to  join  the  high  school  swim  team.  Our  family  did  what  any  grateful  family  would  do.  We  thanked  Jared  over  and  over  and  over  again.  After  all, like Jared, I was fully capable of extending  simple  invitations.  A cheerleader  at the  time,  I created  a new cheer  team  at my school and invited students with disabilities  to join.  Five students  with disabilities  ranging from  Down  syndrome  to  autism and five  students  without  disabilities  cheered on the Pleasant Valley  Spartans  at  home  football  and basketball games.  Within  a few  months, our  roster  overflowed,  we  had a  waiting  list,  and  families  were  relocating  into  our  district  in  hopes  of  securing  a  spot  for  their  child on  the  team.  I  knew  it  was time to think  bigger.  It  was  time  to  bring  my idea to schools and students outside Iowa, to start extending more invitations. In 2009, at fifteen years old, I started  Generation  Spirit,  a national  nonprofit  organization  dedicated  to creating  and  tangibly  supporting  inclusive  spirit  teams  in  schools  nationwide.  I set a goal  of  generating  100  new  teams.  Once  again,  the  family  dining  room  became  Command  Central,  but  this  time  for a new  purpose.  Armed  with  only  a ream of Generation  Spirit  letterhead  and  the  unbridled  audacity  of  a  teen  on  a  mission,  I  penned  letters  to  one  hundred  schools  inviting  them  to  get involved.