Mother seeks to ensure son has a happy Halloween Story Comments ShareShare Print Create a hardcopy of this page Font Size: Default font size Larger font size Teal pumpkin Teal pumpkin Tamara Gormley - Election Text Alerts - Weather Posted: Tuesday, October 28, 2014 4:00 am By Journey McAndrews Georgetown News-Graphic Imagine receiving candy at Halloween but not being able to eat it. This is how Brycen Kenley has typically celebrated Halloween since his battle with food allergies began eight years ago. His mother, Rachel Kenley, vividly recalls the day she first learned Brycen had food allergies. “I was cooking in the kitchen and offered Brycen a pecan. He passed out on me after eating it. I was a young mom and had no idea what food allergies were. I don’t know why I grabbed the Benadryl and poured it in his mouth, but I did. That saved his life. His throat was closing due to swelling. I had to hold his lifeless body while calling 911.” Halloween candy and other treats can be deadly for children with food allergies. But the Teal Pumpkin Project wants to change this so little ghosts and goblins with allergies can safely trick or treat alongside their non-allergic friends. Being able to trick or treat with his friends is something Brycen has always wanted to do, said Rachel. “He was born one day before Halloween, so the holiday has always been like his big extended birthday party, the only thing is, we have to be very careful about what he receives as treats.” The allergy Brycen has is so severe that he cannot even touch nuts, or come in contact with surfaces were nuts have been. “If a friend has eaten a peanut butter sandwich and then touches Brycen, he could die if he didn’t have an Epi-pen and seek immediate medical attention,” said Rachel. At Halloween the Kenley’s monitor everything closely because so many treats are being handed out and the risk of Brycen coming in contact with nuts is much higher. “It always breaks my heart to take his candy. We donate it to the troops, which is good, or it goes to work with his dad, but Brycen never comes in contact with most of it.” Rachel said. This year, the Kenley’s decided to do something about the problem of not being able to get allergy-free treats at Halloween. “We wanted people in our community to be aware of the seriousness of food allergies and to get people on board with providing safe treats,” said Rachel. Everything in the Kenley family changed after medical tests confirmed Brycen had life threatening food allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, and coconut, said Rachel. “I went from knowing nothing about allergies, to reading everything I could to keep my kid safe. I can’t put Brycen in a bubble, so I started asking questions. I found out that Disney World and Great Wolf Lodges have chefs who cook special meals for children with food allergies. When we go there, Brycen can have things like ice-cream, which he rarely gets because it is not nut-free.” An ongoing issue for the Kenleys is a lack of dining out options. “We mostly eat at home, but there are a few restaurants we trust. P.F. Chang’s is a top restaurant for people with food allergies because they take the issue seriously. So does Outback, and Malone’s in Lexington, which trains its managers how to use an Epi-Pen and keeps Epi-Pens on hand,” said Rachel. An Epi-Pen is part of Brycen’s emergency treatment plan, as it is for nearly all people who have life threatening allergies. The pen is an injection device used to administer a dose of synthetic adrenaline in the case of an allergy-enduced emergency. The threat of Brycen becoming ill due to food allergies is so great that the Kenley’s had a 504 Plan drawn up to protect him while he is at school. “It’s hard for some people to think of food allergies causing a disability, but this is exactly what they mean for Brycen. We have a good school for him, but we need the added protection of the 504 Plan, which falls under the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act and helps children with disabilities navigate difficulties they might encounter at school,” said Rachel. She also said they chose Western Elementary in Scott County because it has a full-time nurse on staff and the cafeteria is nut free. While much is being done to keep Brycen safe, Rachel said she knows more has to be done. “I hope teal pumpkins becomes the thing that helps people talk about and understand food allergies better. The Food Allergy Research and Education website reports that one in 13 children have food allergies, so we need to be talking about this issue more” Rachel said. When asked what the teal pumpkins mean to him, Brycen said, “They mean kids who have food allergies will be safe at Halloween. Kids like me, who have to worry about every bite they eat.” To get the word out about the teal pumpkins, Brycen talked to his classmates, teachers, and family members. “My friends have been great. They said, ‘cool, I want to help,’ which makes me feel good.” It is encouraging to see so many people in our community who do not have allergies come together to help kids who do, said Rachel. “As they say, it all starts with one and ends with many,” Rachel said. People who want to participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project just need to put a teal pumpkin on display to alert children with food allergies that it is safe to trick or treat at their house. A pumpkin painted teal, or a teal pumpkin poster will do. To print a teal pumpkin poster visit the Food Allergy Research and Education website at foodallergy.org/teal-pumpkin-project . The Teal Pumpkin Project was created two years ago by Becky Basalone, director of the Food Allergy Community (FACET) in East Tennessee, and has seen spread across the nation and other countries because of media coverage from major sources such as CNN and NBC. This news makes Brycen happy. “I’d like to see every house have a teal pumpkin. It’s a serious thing. We can’t joke around about it. Nuts could kill me and other people who have nut allergies,” Brycen said.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 10:31:57 +0000
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