One bite of banana pudding changed our lives forever.
Our son Hayes was nine months old when he went into anaphylaxis. We were celebrating my dad’s birthday and gave him a bite of homemade banana pudding. Quickly, his lips began to swell. We had no idea what was happening or what to do. It progressed quickly to projectile vomiting and difficulty breathing, but thankfully we were able to get him the medical care he needed.
I know most food allergy families have a similar first-reaction story. We didn’t have a family history of food allergies and we didn’t know anyone with food allergies at the time. We were completely caught off guard.
Three allergic, chronic illnesses, all playing off each other and requiring different levels of care. Honestly, the beginning of it all seems like such a blur because we were in survival mode every day. Everything in our world revolved around managing his skin and food allergies
It was a terrifying experience that triggered a domino effect of discovering all the things our son was allergic to. We were desperately trying to get his eczema under control during that time when we found out he also had Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EOE).
Hayes is now 8 years old. He goes to school and plays sports. His health is not as chaotic, but his everyday life is certainly impacted and altered by managing his food allergies.
He’s receiving treatment from the Food Allergy Institute (FAI) in Long Beach, California, which has been an absolute game changer for our family and an incredible blessing. We’ve been traveling from Georgia to Long Beach for more than three and a half years and have about a year and a half left in the program. When we started the program, Hayes was allergic to 24 foods. Since then, he’s treated and passed challenges for all but two of those foods. Mind-blowing! When he completes the program, he will be free to eat whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and however much of it he wants. What a miracle!"
We’ve seen more specialists than I can count.
We’ve traveled to Colorado and California for treatment, Consulted with an overseas doctor…you name it, we’ve probably done it.
We hope this site will encourage you on your own allergy journey.
We desperately needed someone to guide us early on and didn’t really have anyone to turn to. We hope that Allergy Edit will help you avoid some of the challenges we faced. Together, we can bring more awareness to food allergies so all allergy kids grow up in a safer, more understanding world!
OUR GOAL IS TO SHARE OUR EXPERIENCES AND ANY INFORMATION WE’VE GAINED ALONG THE WAY TO HELP YOU NAVIGATE FOOD ALLERGIES AND OTHER COMMON ALLERGIC CONDITIONS.
Journey Highlights: Challenges, Milestones, and Memories
Each event represents a significant step forward in our understanding and management of allergies. These pivotal moments have shaped our lives and led to the creation of Allergy Edit.
Eczema first appeared when Hayes was just three months old, mainly in the creases of his skin and around his mouth. Looking back at old photos, we also noticed the presence of allergic shiners. In addition, his lymph nodes at the back of his head and neck were constantly swollen, roughly the size of large marbles.
Hayes's eczema kept getting worse, and we became desperate to find him some relief. We turned to National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado, where he enrolled in their Pediatric Day Program. Over the course of two weeks, the doctors used wet wrap therapy to help manage and improve his skin condition.
When Hayes was nine months old, he took a bite of banana pudding and immediately went into anaphylaxis. Thankfully, by the grace of God, we were able to get him emergency medical help just in time. Up until that moment, we had no idea he had food allergies.
Here’s a timeline of Hayes's allergy journey – a path marked by challenges, uncertainty, Learning, and healing.
2016
2018
2016
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Hayes had a reaction to the tiniest drop of mustard touching his tongue. At the time, we had no idea how increasingly common mustard allergies were becoming.
Wet wrap therapy eventually stopped working, and Hayes experienced steroid withdrawal symptoms. We turned to the Eczema Expert, who provided us with invaluable insights into how everything in the body is connected. However, after ten months of attempting to detox Hayes from all topical medications, the pain became too much for him to handle mentally.
After ten months of pursuing natural treatments, we were desperate to find relief for Hayes. Encouraged by another eczema mom, we decided to try Dr. Aron’s protocol. The results were immediate—his skin began clearing up right away.
Hayes was diagnosed with EOE. We initially managed it with swallowed Pulmicort twice a day, which helped control the condition,but didn’t achieve remission. Later, we added Dupixent, and with this combination, he had his first clear scope.
2018
2019
2018
2019
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We added Hayes to the waitlist for the Food Allergy Institute's Tolerance Induction Program early in the year and eagerly counted down the days until it was his turn. I believe our total wait time was about 11 months. Sidenote: There's no longer a waitlist!
Hayes began his journey with the Food Allergy Institute in Long Beach, CA, with an estimated treatment timeline of 4 to 5 years. His appointments were scheduled every 10 to 12 weeks, spanning two days.
Hayes has been in the program for 5 years, with about a year to go. So far, he’s treated and conquered 23 allergens, with just one more to go (milk) before he’s completely food allergy free! Milk has been his hardest, most challenging allergen with a few setbacks.
Hayes had a severe reaction to cross-contaminated green beans. We administered his EpiPen at home and called an ambulance to take him to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA). Despite receiving the maximum dose of Benadryl, he could not stop itching uncontrollably.
2019
2025
2021
2020
