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Isolated
by Allergies RHODA FUKUSHIMA ST. PAUL, Minn. - Four-year-old Delson Hays finishes his Rice Krispies, soy milk and egg-free, nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free muffin. He "decrumbs" after meals, brushing food particles from his shirt and using a Dustbuster to vacuum them. Then he washes his hands. Specially prepared foods and meticulous cleaning habits are enforced by his parents. They understand that a whiff of peanut dust could kill their son. Typically, food brings people together. But food allergies isolate them. They dictate the smallest details of daily life, from a father's beard-washing to gluten-free modeling clay at preschool. Parents of allergic kids struggle to keep them safe without making them fearful. Family, friends and strangers don't always understand the seriousness of allergies, so parents who take precautions are sometimes seen as extreme, oversensitive and paranoid. Despite the judgment, they must remain vigilant. While not new, food allergies have been in the spotlight lately. In January, new food-labeling laws went into effect requiring manufacturers to disclose, in plain language, the presence of major allergens. The same month, investigators seized bread from French Meadow Bakery, claiming that the Minneapolis business falsely advertised its loaves as "wheat-free." Such changes are good news for people like Delson, one of 11 million Americans with food allergies. (He's allergic to wheat, eggs, beef, bison, mustard, sesame, dairy, peanuts, barley, peas and tree nuts, which include almonds, walnuts and pecans.) In the United States, eight foods account for 90 percent of all allergic reactions. Each year, allergic reactions to food put 30,000 people in the emergency room. About 150 to 200 people die each year from anaphylaxis, says the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network in Fairfax, Va. About 90 percent of allergy deaths stem from peanuts and tree nuts, says Dr. Thomas Helm, a Twin Cities allergist and medical adviser to the Food Allergy Support Group of Minnesota. Shellfish is second. "There's something more nefarious about these allergies," Helm says. People ages 15 to 40 are at the highest risk of death. Children have a 70 to 75 percent chance of outgrowing common childhood allergies by adulthood, Helm says. That percentage is lower for people with peanut and tree-nut allergies. Only 20 percent of those with peanut allergies outgrow them. The Hayses, of Minneapolis, do not know if Delson will outgrow his allergies; that's too far in the future. "I don't worry much about what happens tomorrow or 10 years from now," Karen Hays says. "Probably because I work so hard in the moment to make sure everything is OK right now." The Hayses enjoy food. Both Karen, 32, and her husband, Bart, 36, love to cook. While pregnant, Karen daydreamed about the delicious foods she would cook for her child, dishes from her own childhood. She also experienced severe morning sickness and lost weight. She stopped eating dairy foods, which made her feel better. As a precaution, she eliminated peanuts. Delson was born Sept. 24, 2001. Karen exclusively breast-fed him, but he was always "a spit-uppy, colicky, rashy kind of scaly kid." Her instincts told her something was wrong, but their pediatrician said Delson was too young to have food allergies. With her doctor's approval, she began to eat dairy again, starting with a daily sliver of cheese. On the fifth day, Bart called her over to see Delson. His face was swollen. He had hives and itchy eczema. Their pediatrician told them to give it time. With summer approaching, he expected Delson's problems to clear up.At 9 months, Delson hadn't improved. He had bad bouts of diarrhea. He had weeping eczema sores on his face and body. He'd scrape his thumbs across his teeth until they bled. The Hayses put socks on his hands and creams on his body. "People would stop and ask me if he had rug burns on his face," Karen recalls. "As if I dragged him by the legs face down on the carpet." The pediatrician finally recommended they see an allergist. Delson tested positive for milk, almond and peanut allergies."The more we learned about it, the bigger deal it was," says Bart. Over time, the Hayses discovered more foods that Delson couldn't eat. He also developed asthma. As a precaution, the Hayses removed fish and shellfish from his diet. Jell-O gave him diarrhea, while beef and eggs made him throw up. Wheat flour gave him hives, itchy eyes and a runny nose. When Karen, who was still breastfeeding, stopped eating tree nuts, his weepy, crusty eczema disappeared. He could eat soy, so a blended mixture of tofu, fresh pears and blueberries became a mainstay. "We started realizing it's not just about him accidentally eating a chocolate chip cookie; it's about something I might have eaten and him getting into the crumbs on the table," Bart says. "There was an element of panic: How deep will this be?" Now, the Hayses eat like Delson. It's easiest and safest for everyone. Karen shops for groceries carefully, visiting a variety of stores in search of particular foods. She reads labels three times -- even on familiar items -- in case ingredients have changed. The Hayses treat all of Delson's reactions as if they could be life-threatening. He's never far from a fanny pack with his EpiPen, an injectable medication that counteracts severe allergic reactions. The Hayses struggle to find the right balance between telling Delson enough, but not too much, about his allergies. He knows not to use water fountains and to take food only from his parents. They explain that some foods aren't good for his body, but they don't want to scare him by saying, "This could kill you." Still, they worry that he has picked up on their fears."I feel like I've unwittingly groomed Delson to be leery of other kids," Karen says. "But that's the reality. That is where a lot of the danger lies."
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