Adventuring in Canada — Summer 2024!
Hello! How are you? It’s been a while since I posted here. Over two years to be exact. I didn’t mean for so much time to pass, but I’ve been super busy focusing on other projects. And, well, life happens. I know you are busy, too, so thank you for reading this.
Let’s catch up, shall we? I’d love to share some highlights from the last few years, as well as give you a glimpse into what is coming next from me. And most importantly, I’d love to hear from you: How you are doing? How I might be able to help on your food allergy journey?
I’m in a New Season of parenting. I blinked, and now I officially have two teenagers in my house. My boys just turned 14 and 12 and are all about middle school and multiple sports and music and friends. They are growing and excelling in so many ways, and I continue to be so proud to be their mom.
This new season has also presented a shift into our food allergy management, our goals as a family, and my advocacy work. My intention was always to send my boys to college with “safety” from their food allergies (between treatment and lots of conversations, training, and practice), and I’m keenly aware of how few years we have left with them at home to make that happen. We’ve come an extraordinarily long way, and I’m honestly immensely proud of my family for what we’ve accomplished. But as time continues to go by, I’m hyper focused on ensuring they are ready to enter the world with confidence as they independently manage their food allergies.
Which leads me back here. I’m more enthusiastic about my food allergy advocacy work than ever. The landscape has changed drastically since we were diagnosed over 12 years ago, and I’m grateful for the advances in science and the expansion of food allergy friendly products. But, wow, do we still have work to do! My goal is to deliver my experiences, combined with food allergy news and research, to provide my family (and YOURS!) with the best opportunity to thrive.
But, first, let me share what we’ve been up to the last few years!
Here are the Updates:
Owen and Grayson are three years into Oral Immunotherapy with Latitude Food Allergy Care. They have had different – yet both successful – outcomes, and we are grateful for the safety and emotional well-being this treatment has created for us all.
Owen is currently at a daily maintenance of four peanuts and four cashews. He will soon double his doses again. He passed oral food challenges for the pesky legumes this year – crossing off green pea, chickpea, and lentil. He has attended sleepaway camp the last two summers and eats safely at a variety of restaurants. We still (and always will) carry epinephrine, ask questions, and read labels!
Grayson is taking a low-and-slow approach with daily doses for peanut, cashew, dairy, wheat, and egg. He passed SEVEN oral food challenges this year, including baked egg, banana, kiwi, mango, chestnut, hazelnut, and green pea. These were incredibly huge wins for our family, and we are grateful that he continues to reduce his food allergy list.
I am honored and humbled to celebrate one year as a Contributing Writer for the WebMD Food Allergies Patient Blog. I’ve been pouring all my experiences and strategies into that platform offering help for families navigating food allergies. Please visit my WebMD blog homepage and sign up to receive emails when new articles are posted.
I’ve been privileged to engage in multiple Food Allergy Events including speaking at the 2023 FARE New York City Gala, participating in two panels at the 2022 FARE Food Allergy Summit, co-chairing and speaking on a panel for the 2022 Cocktails and Conversation with FARE event in Greenwich, hosting the 2022 Alladapt LinkedIN Live, and moderating the 2022 FARE International Women’s Day Facebook Live. You can find photos of all these events here.
And, as you may have noticed, I have performed a Website Refresh. What’s new? An updated logo for an updated season, the addition of my WebMD blog articles, event photos from the last few years, and a streamlined format that is hopefully easier to navigate. I have captured all my food allergy advocacy work from the last ten years on this site, with the hope that you will find the information most helpful to your current needs. I invite you to take a look through the pages, and please sign up for my mailing list to receive an email when a new blog is posted. I plan to update content regularly here again, so stay tuned.
What’s Next?
I am thrilled to attend the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT) Digital Influencer Conference this week. I promise to share my insights on Instagram and here on my Blog.
Look out for more articles on my WebMD Blog, including articles on conversations to have with your teens about food allergies and support for food allergy caregivers.
And we are excited for Owen’s upcoming appointments to double his Oral Immunotherapy maintenance doses (again!) for peanuts and cashews to from four to eight nuts. I’ll keep you posted!
How About You?
Are you in a new season, too? I’d love to connect. How are you doing, and how can I help? What kind of content are you looking for these days? I’d love updates and suggestions from you! Please follow me on Instagram, shoot me a DM, and sign up for updates from this blog (in the footer) as well as my WebMD blog. Do you have questions, or would you like to work together? Email me at hillarycarter@gmail.com.
I can’t wait to hear from you!
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