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In June 2008, Liz Boisvert was juggling the responsibilities of being a military spouse stationed far from home and the increased responsibilities of being a new mom. What should have been a routine solution to an everyday problem for new moms led to a diagnosis that would change her life and open her eyes to the dangers of food allergies in children.
Through the community group she started after discovering her son Fisher’s dangerous food allergy, she and other members hope to open the eyes of others to the dangers of food allergies in children.
The ABC Food Allergy Support Group is now an Army Community Services-supported Exceptional Family Member Program group, which allows EFMP families safe opportunities to gather for family focused, food-friendly events. The focus of the group, according to its Facebook community page, is centered on three guiding principles represented by the letters in its name: awareness within the community, belonging to a group that understands and supports members and other families, and caring for children.
Boisvert, wife of Army Maj. William Boisvert, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, said she remembers how scary her first encounter with their son’s food allergy was and why groups like the one she created are so important.
When Boisvert was running errands with her then 4-month-old son, she stopped at a market to buy formula milk after Fisher ran out of his regular supply of breast milk bottled at home. After consuming the formula milk he quickly grew ill and was subsequently diagnosed with a range of food allergies, varying in severity – most life threatening.
“When I realized that something as simple as a snack could be deadly for my son and that other moms were in the same position without adequate support and information to help us, I knew there was an important need to do more to increase awareness and support,” Boisvert said.
That need for awareness and support is amplified for military families stationed in Germany faced with the challenge of not speaking and reading German while trying to purchase safe food in stores and at restaurants.
Ingrid Bender, an Air Force spouse with 86th Medical Group and mother to Maxwell, 5, described just how difficult it can be during the group’s recent Easter egg hunt.
“We arrived in Germany about two and a half years ago and very quickly understood how complicated it can be just to go out and find safe things for Maxwell to eat. We’ve certainly come a long way, but traveling through Europe can feel like starting over,” she said.
Bender, who discovered the group thanks to Air Force Lt. Col. Amy Parker, resident allergist and immunologist at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, stressed the importance of the sense of community involved.
“There were times when we felt sad and isolated, because we’ve had to limit which (social gatherings) we can attend as a family due to food safety, but we’ve definitely moved beyond that. These (ABC group) events offer fun without food, and the kids have a ball,” Bender said.
For the group’s members, it’s all about getting the word out and making sure family members in the KMC know there’s a group here to help educate and support each other.
“If we can help just one family or one child, I consider that a success. Our goal is to let everyone know that we’re here for all military families and want to make living with food allergies a little easier,” she said.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/abc.foodallergies or email abc.foodallergies@gmail.com.
