National Eosinophil Awareness Week - Day 3

Today Andrew and I wore our Eos T-shirts to school.  We also passed out dum dum lollipops to help spread awareness for these disorders.  I was pleased when several teachers asked me what my shirt said and I had the opportunity to educate them, if even just a little, on EGIDs.  The student's in Andrew's classroom (and mine as well) were full of questions.  I continue to be proud of how well Andrew handles his disease and now of the advocate he is becoming.  It is so very important for the people that are suffering from this disease that awareness is spread.  Please take time to write to your congress person tomorrow to remind them that this is National Eosinophilic Awareness Week.

Thank you to everyone that continues to support us!

This is a video put together by another Eos family.

Just......Imagine a Cure!!

Thanks To the National Institutes of Health (CoFAR) and Voters for EGIDs at Chase Community Giving

During National Eosinophil Awareness Week it was stated that the National Intstitutes of Health (NIH) gave $0 a year in funding toward Eosinophil research.  I am happy to say, that is no longer the case.  In a press  release on Wednesday, July 14, NIH Expands Food Allergy Research Program Consortium of Food Allergy Research Renewed With a Five-Year, $29.9 Million Grant, NIH announced the Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFAR) will be funded for 5 more years.  CoFAR has been working on ways to treat and prevent food allergies since 2005.  It will now broaden it's scope to include genetic causes of food allergy and studies of food allergy associated with EGIDs, mostly EE (EoE).

While food allergies are associated with the production of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies as a response to a food which may lead to symptoms anywhere from hives to anaphylaxis, EGIDs can also be associated with IgE, but are also associated with stomach pain, vomiting, chest pain, and trouble swallowing.  There is also inflammation, irritation and a large number of eosinophils in the esophagus.

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Thank you

Wow! The week is only half way through and yet, I am already so touched by all of the support our family has gotten for National Eosinophil Awareness Week. I have family and friends, old and new, that are participating in the activities that I have listed on this blog and Facebook. My niece went out and bought a pink shirt just so she could write "I am wearing this shirt to raise awareness for eosinophilic esophagitis disease" on the front and then "for my little cousin Andrew" on the back." She, as well as other friends, have passed out dum-dums. Friends and family have posted information on Facebook each day. We even had a former preschool teacher contact us to write an article about Andrew to help spread awareness. People are good. It is amazing how people can come together for a common cause if you just ask. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives.

So thank you to everyone that is helping us spread the word this week. It has touched my heart and means more to me than you can know. Andrew is so lucky to have so many people who care about him.

Eos Awareness Week: Day 3

Did you know that all of the funding for Eosinophilic Disorder Research comes from private providers. The National Institute of Health currently provides $0 in funding for research for these diseases that are rapidly on the rise.

Today is the day to PARTICIPATE in Eos Awareness Week. A few suggestions given by apfed.org are:
*VIRTUAL WALK – Encourage those in your community to participate in APFED’s

National Eosinophil Awareness Virtual Walk. Get together some friends or your local
support group, Register online, collect pledges, and then meet at local park for a
“Walk” and social event.
*SIGN UP: Take the day to commit to participating in an APFED event, like

attending the conference this summer. Get registered at: APFED 2010 Conference
*ATTEND A LOCAL APFED EVENT: Check the Fundraising Page of the APFED

website to see what events are planned in your area and show your support by
attending. The list will be updated as events come in.
*WEAR YOUR APFED SHIRT: A simple way to participate is by wearing your

APFED t-shirt. If you don’t have one, you can purchase one by visiting the APFED
Store.

National Eosinophil Awareness Week - Day 2

As I had mentioned previously, this week, May 16 through May 22 is National Eosinophil Awareness Week.  I am going to try to share different videos, stories or activities throughout the week in celebration of this week.

My first entry is an article that I wrote for CNN ireports:

Life Without Food:  National Eosinophil Awareness Week - May 16 through May 22

May 16 – May 22 is National Eosinophil Awareness Week. What is that you may ask? My son suffers from the most common Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorder (EGID), Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EE). I will try to paint you a picture…

Think about food…how many times you eat each day, how much you enjoy the smell as it is being prepared, the anticipation of a favorite meal or going out to a restaurant, the flavor of your favorite food when it touches your tongue, your morning cup of coffee, the sense of togetherness you enjoy when you share a meal with family or close friends, the excitement you or child gets when they see and then bite into their birthday cake, holiday meals with loved ones, taking a spontaneous trip to the ice cream parlor with someone special on a hot summer day…and the list goes on. There are so many ways we enjoy food as an individual and as a sense of community. Now, imagine being told that you can no longer eat food. You have to receive all of your nutrients from an amino acid formula that contains no whole or partial proteins. A formula, I might add, that is so unpalatable that most children that have to be on it have to take it through a feeding tube. Imagine you have to do this because the food that is supposed to sustain you and keep you healthy, makes you extremely sick.

This is how my son and many other children with Eosinophilic Disorders live their lives each day. My son suffers from Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EE). EE is characterized by inflammation of the esophagus with an abnormal number of eosinophils. An eosinophil is a type of white blood cell associated with allergies, parasites and cancers. In my son’s case the elevated levels are caused by food and possibly environmental allergies. Symptoms vary by case, but my son started off with reflux that did not get better with medication and chronic stomach pain. As time went on he had chest pain, throat pain, regurgitation 20-40 times a day, and vomiting after eating as well. He also has had chronic sinus infections since he was an infant and continues to suffer from croup during winter months.

EGIDs are considered rare diseases, but are on the rise. According to an article, “Looking Back on 2009” by Wendy Book, MD in EOSolutions Winter 2009, [the apfed (American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders) newsletter], a recent study estimates 158,700 people suffer from EE and 85,000 people suffer from eosinophilic gastroenteritis and colitis (EG-EC). Also stated in EOSolutions, EE has now been recognized as one of the most common causes of food impaction and difficulty swallowing in adults. Even so, these diseases often go misdiagnosed or mistreated for years due to lack of in depth knowledge of the disease by many doctors and specialists. There is no cure for these diseases, and they require ongoing treatment, management and procedures. The only way to test for and monitor them is by performing endoscopies with biopsies. Many patients are forced to travel hundreds of miles to a facility that specializes in eosinophilic disorders to ensure proper treatment. Therapies include food elimination diets, elemental formula diets and/or medications such as steroids and/or PPI’s. Many families, after getting proper care realize that they can’t treat their child with the one thing that will make him well (elemental formula), because most insurance companies don’t cover it, and the monthly cost can be close to many people’s mortgage payments.

At present, even with the rapid increase in prevalence of EGIDs, the National Institute of Health (NIH) allocates $0 in funding for Eosinophilic Disorders. It is of utmost importance that doctors and scientists are afforded the funding they need for important research that can lead to better lives for the many people and families affected by this disease. I know my son would enjoy being able to blow out candles on a real birthday cake one day, not one made of boxes, but this will only be possible through research that will help find a cure.

Help us celebrate National Eosinophil Awareness Week by spreading the word and visit apfed.org to learn more about Eosinophilic Disorders or to make a donation.