Allergic to Lunchtime

May 14, 2008— -- For parents of children with food allergies, school lunchtime can be terrifying.

"If a parent brings in a snack, Ryan can't have it," said Colene Birchfield, whose son, Ryan, has suffered from allergies to milk, eggs and peanuts. "He has to sort of be alienated from the rest of the class, which is sort of difficult."

Teresa Walters also knows just how devastating children's food allergies can be. She lost her son Nathan seven years ago when he died from a severe allergic reaction to a peanut butter cookie at age 9.

On a field trip with his class, Nathan was supposed to have received a special lunch for his allergies, but was mistakenly given a bagged lunch that included a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, trail mix with peanuts and a peanut butter cookie. Although Nathan spoke up and did not eat most of the food, he did eat the cookie, thinking it was a sugar cookie without peanuts. He died several hours later on the way home.

"My understanding is that Nathan might have survived if he had been given his Epipen [a medicine that treats severe allergic reactions], especially considering how close emergency medical care was," Walters said in a statement today to a congressional panel. "I know he would have survived if his health care plan had been followed; if his school had received additional training on the severity and risks of food allergies."

Birchfield and Walters were among several who testified today before a Senate panel about the challenges that face children with food allergies.

It's an issue that hits close to home for Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions panel's subcommittee on children and families. Dodd's daughter is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, shell fish, sesame and tropical fruits.

"It's been a real challenge," said Dodd's wife Jackie Clegg Dodd. "And, in fact, we've had teachers at a public school tell us, 'You know, we don't really think we can keep your daughter safe here. We don't have a full-time nurse. We don't have the guidelines in place.'"