Welcome to ALLERGYONBOARD!
If you’re like most of our visitors, there is a child in your life who has been diagnosed with food allergies. And, like most of our visitors, you are trying to help that child grow up safely and without stigma. We know it seems somewhat paradoxical – how can a child with food allergies avoid allergens without facing some degree of stigma? For these children, it often seems that safety = avoidance = isolation = poor self-esteem.
At ALLERGYONBOARD, we believe the equation can be modified. We believe stigmatization is avoidable and, in fact, we believe that when children master the challenges posed by food allergies, they become more confident, more self-aware, and more empowered as a result.
We all know the staggering statistics of food allergies in our population. Prevalence is on the rise. The incidence of multiple food allergies is increasing. In other words, having a food allergy is no longer an anomaly. It is, unfortunately, becoming rather common in our schools and our communities.
After our son was diagnosed with a food allergy, we discovered that many of the products and messages out there are teeming with negativity. “Don’t feed me.” “Don’t give me any (insert allergen).” Big red circles with crosses through them that sent subliminal messages of danger and avoidance.
Although we were as anxious as the next parent that our child would eat something he shouldn’t have, we didn’t want to scare him into safety. We didn’t want the messaging to be ominous and forbidding. What we did want was to empower our son to handle the challenge of his allergy with positivity, self-esteem, and self-confidence. But everywhere we looked – books, t-shirts, hats – we could not find the messaging we were looking for. And so, we decided to create products that we felt communicated a message we could support. The success we found with those endeavors led us to create ALLERGYONBOARD LLC, an organization dedicated to promoting empowerment and positive self-esteem for children with food allergies.
Welcome!
Jim and Carey Shoemaker
