Ep. 279: FAACT's 'Invisible No More' Theme for Food Allergy Awareness Month

Food Allergy Awareness Month is almost here—and it’s our moment to be seen, heard, and understood. This year, FAACT is launching an exciting new campaign, 'Invisible No More', shining a light on the reality that food allergies may be unseen, but they are very real. We’re sitting down with FAACT’s Director of Marketing, Lisa Horne, to share how you can get involved and help bring this message to life in your community. 

Resources to keep you in the know:

• FAACT's Food Allergy Awareness Week and Month Center
• Social Cover Photos, Ideas for Activities, and Social Media Posts Content
• FAACT's Food Allergy Awareness Week Proclamation Kit

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 Sponsored by: Genentech

Thanks for listening! FAACT invites you to discover more exciting food allergy resources at FoodAllergyAwareness.org!

Transcript

Caroline: Welcome to FAACT's Roundtable, a podcast dedicated to navigating life with food allergies across the lifespan. Presented in a welcoming format with interviews and open discussions,

each episode will explore a specific topic, leaving you with the FAACTS to know or use.

Information presented via this podcast is educational and not intended to provide individual medical advice.

Please consult with your personal board certified allergist or healthcare providers for advice specific to your situation.

Caroline: Hi everyone, I'm Caroline MoassessiAACT Roundtable podcast.

I am a food allergy parent and advocate and the founder of the Grateful Foodie Blog.

Caroline: And I am FAACT's Vice President of Community Relations.

Caroline: Before we start today's podcast, we would like to take a moment to thank Genentech for being a kind sponsor of FAACT's roundtable podcast. Also, please note that today's guest was not paid by or sponsored by Genentech to participate in this specific podcast.

Food Allergy Awareness Month is here and it's our moment to be seen, heard and understood.

This year, Fact is launching an exciting new campaign, Invisible no More,

shining a light on the reality that food allergies may be unseen, but they are very real. We're sitting down with FAACT's director of marketing, Lisa Horne, to share how you can get involved and help bring this message to life in your community.

Caroline: Welcome back, Lisa, to FAACT's Roundtable podcast. This is a very exciting podcast because we're going to talk about a really fun theme during a very special time.

Lisa: I am so excited. Thank you for having me back. It's been a little bit since we had last chatted, so I'm very,

very honored and happy to be here.

Caroline: For those tuning in who may be meeting you for the first time, we would love to get to know you.

Can you share a bit about your journey as a food allergy parent and advocate and what led you to become part of the FAACT team?

Lisa: Yeah, I think for a lot of us in the food allergy community,

it was something that I never anticipated nor wanted. Right. And I became a food allergy parent overnight, if you will, like so many families do. And it completely reshaped how we navigate the world.

Not only for my child that has food allergies and for myself as a parent and caretaker of somebody with food allergies, but for our entire immediate family, extended family, and then everywhere he goes, he is a senior in high school, he's actually at a track meet right now and his entire track team was going to eat breakfast somewhere that's not safe for him.

I communicated with the coach and luckily there's a McDonald's nearby and he knows what safe that he can have there. So it's everything. Everything is different, right? From grocery shopping to school to simply trusting everyday environments.

What started as a need to keep my child safe quickly grew into a passion for helping other families feel less alone and more empowered. And then that me to create Food Allergy PI my blog and social media,

which eventually led to host my own podcast, Food Allergy Talk,

just creating spaces. Eventually, Simon and Schuster reached out to me and I authored the Everything Nut Allergy Cookbook. And you know, it just one thing led to another where we're creating spaces just as you are here with this podcast and in fact does in so many ways that we could ask better questions,

share real experiences, bring clarity to what can feel overwhelming.

Working with FACT and accepting a role with them as the director of marketing, it just felt like a natural extension of that work that I was already doing.

FAACT brings together education,

advocacy and community in just such a meaningful way that I'm honored to be a part of a mission that truly helps families move from fear to confidence and listeners.

Caroline: Just so you know, I've known Lisa for such a long time and she is a mover and a shaker. She has really changed and impacted this community. And I'm absolutely thrilled and honored you're on the team and for me to be able to work with you and thank you for all that you've done over the years.

Lisa: Oh, thank you. I appreciate that. And I said I feel equally,

you know, about you. It's the, the, the individuals that have come together to work for FAACT all have very similar backgrounds, if you will. To my own,

where we went out and wanted to be change makers, right?

Not only for our own children,

but for others. And it's just been amazing to see everyone come together,

some of these really, really amazing people at FAACT to just do great things.

Caroline: So,

so true. So true. So now let's jump right in and talk about Food Allergy Awareness Month. It an important time for our community.

So why does raising our voices right now matter so much? And what kind of impact can it really have?

Lisa: Yeah, Food Allergy Awareness Month. It's powerful because it brings visibility to something that is often invisible but very real every single day for millions of families. I, I mentioned just a moment ago, I have a senior in high school.

He is on the track and field team.

He is the school's top pole vaulter.

So pole vaulting is kind of scary.

You know,

you're running with this giant long pole and launching yourself 13, 14, 15ft up into the air.

That's kind of crazy, right? And so when people look at my son,

they, he's a four year varsity golf athlete as well.

He's also a wrestler and he, and a soccer player.

So he's this very,

very well trained,

very muscular, very athletic, very this, this achiever in sports and with his body, right? And people look at him, whether it's his coaches, other students,

other athletes, and they're like, wow, that kid's so healthy and he's, and he's so capable and he's so athletic, there couldn't be anything wrong with him.

Little do they know that one bite of the wrong food could be very detrimental to him.

And so it goes back to that whole visibility and invisible because you look at him and he's the perfect embodiment of health and athleticism and peak performance.

You know, this one of the last track meets that we went to,

he was up against,

it was like six or seven different high schools here in the Valley in Arizona, tons of pole vaulters and he tied for first place.

Little do they all know he had hardly anything out there with him that he could eat because it's 100 degrees already in Arizona.

He has avi cues with him.

He has safe food that's melting because it's so hot. Everything's harder for him. They don't see all those little things. And so when we raise our voices together during one month, we're not just sharing our stories, like his story a little bit that I'm sharing now.

We're driving, understanding,

we're improving safety and ultimately saving lives.

So awareness leads to action. It helps schools adopt better policies.

It encourages restaurants to take allergies seriously. It empowers individuals to respond confidently in an emergency.

So even just one conversation,

one shared post,

or one moment of education can create a ripple effect that protects someone else. So for example, this morning,

I don't know what transpired because I'm not there. I do know that they said, hey, there's a McDonald's nearby. Can he run across the parking lot and get something to eat there?

Everybody else is eating at whatever restaurant.

I hope that through someone else's or even my own or my son's own or whatever awareness efforts.

I hope that one of his teammates will be like, you know what?

I don't want him to eat alone. I'm gonna go to McDonald's too.

I think it can be as simple as that.

Caroline: That is just powerful in terms of the way you explain this. And you painted this really good picture for someone who might not live our life and can see how important it is to.

To raise that awareness. And like you said, I could take just a simple act of someone saying, hey, let me come sit with you, or why don't you pick up your food and I'll meet you in the parking lot.

So now let's talk about something that we're really excited about here at Fact and for our entire community,

the Invisible no More theme that we're going to be following for Food Allergy Awareness Month.

So can you share what this campaign is all about and why it means so much right now?

Lisa: Absolutely. The Invisible no More campaign is about shining a light on the daily realities of living with food allergies.

The planning,

the vigilance, and then the emotional weight that often goes unseen for many families. There's no off switch. It's constant. So going back, we'll just, I mean, we'll just keep using that same example of my son that's literally on his way to a track meet right now.

There's planning.

So this morning,

I mean, even going back to last night, I was texting his pole vault coach and saying, hey, where are you guys eating tomorrow for the team breakfast? Because, you know, my son's allergic to this, this, this, this, this, this, and this.

And there's not many places that he can eat. What's the plan? And so there was that planning and that communication that was going on last night. They still didn't have a place because the world doesn't work in a perfect manufactured way for anyone.

When you're trying to get a party of 30 athletes and then plus all their somewhere, it's already an issue, if you will,

for the team to try and find somewhere to eat, just period,

not even looking at food allergies. Then you've got this kid that's not only anaphylactic to some of the top nine foods, but he's anaphylactic to garlic, which is often in labels as seasonings,

spices,

natural flavors, or even if there's like chili powder.

Well, what's chili powder? Or there's barbecue sauce in the ingredient, but they don't list that. Well, barbecue sauce has garlic, so there's like sub ingredients that also have it. And personally, this is just an aside here.

I wish that there was required labeling for everything in our food because it's not just the top nine, although that accounts for 90% of all allergens. There's lots of people like my son that are allergic to Multiple food allergens and things that are not included in the required labeling,

which makes it even more difficult to navigate. So there's the communication, there's the planning, there's the vigilance that we're kind of talking about right now with the label reading and cross contact and then the emotional weight that goes unseen.

So like I said, people are looking at this kid. He's this strong,

athletic, very talented, top of his class guy, and he's a pole vaulter. That's pretty cool, right? You got some street cred because you're a pole vaulter and they don't realize that underneath he won't say it, he exudes confidence.

You don't think that feels kind of crummy to be left out in your senior year and your entire team is going to eat breakfast somewhere that could kill you and you can't eat there and you got to walk across the street in the parking lot and feel like an outcast and go get your food somewhere else and hope that someone comes with you so that you're not alone on what's supposed to be a team building activity.

There's weight that goes into that. And I don't care if someone is a child or a teenager or an adult like myself that's 46 years old, that hurts.

Even though you're strong and you can overcome it and have a positive attitude about it, it doesn't mean it's not still kind of crummy. And so there's that emotional weight.

And on top of it, he's got to try and plan as an athlete. So he's got to get his head in the game. He's got to be adequately nourished and hydrated and all these things.

And he's having trouble even finding somewhere safe that's nearby that he could eat. You know, and I told him this morning, I said, hey, you want to make sure that you eat before you go so that if there's not somewhere safe nearby for you to eat, you're not hungry.

Watching everybody else eat, it's just so much. And people have no idea what it's like to walk in those shoes until they have a child with it or they're helping to manage it or have it themselves.

And so I think bringing it full circle, what makes this campaign so meaningful right now is that it invites others into that understanding.

It gives a voice to experiences that are often overlooked, like his, his situation right now. And it reminds us that awareness isn't just about information.

It's about empathy. When people Truly see what living with food allergies looks like.

They're more likely to take meaningful steps to create safer and perhaps more inclusive environments. Like I said, even if it's as simple as I, I hope as a mother's prayer goes out for my son, right.

I hope that there's one kid or a coach or somebody that doesn't let him go over there alone, if you will, or feel alone, that somebody will say, hey, I want McDonald's pancakes right now too, instead of this really fancy, nice breakfast that everybody else is having.

I want it. I want that too.

Caroline: So just inspiring words. I mean, I just love how you're saying, you know, inviting others into our space to see what we're doing. And you're right, seeing all those invisible elements.

Because I think once we understand a little better what someone's walking through, that's where that empathy can start. And then that's where we start to see that beautiful community support.

People showing up with safe treats, people calling on their own. And like you said, hopefully today,

someone just coming along and showing up for someone listening right now and thinking, okay, I am all the way in. I want to do something. I want to participate in fam.

How can they get involved not only for fam, which is Food Allergy Awareness Month, but also just every day in their life? What do you suggest? How people can really engage?

Lisa: Absolutely. Getting involved doesn't have to be complicated. It can start with something as simple as learning the signs of an allergic reaction and how to use epinephrine.

And that knowledge alone can save a life. People can also share educational resources from food allergyawareness.org from our social media platforms,

amplify voices in the food allergy community, or have conversations with their schools, their teams,

their local businesses about safety and inclusion.

Some of the things that we'll be looking forward to during the Invisible no More campaign.

For example,

myth versus fact.

A little bit won't hurt.

That's a myth. The fact,

pun intended, right?

Even a tiny trace of an allergen can trigger a severe or life threatening reaction.

So going back to my son going out with his team, a lot of people don't understand.

They think, oh, you have food allergies, that you know what, your tummy hurts a little bit, like you have a little indigestion.

They don't realize, no, it can actually be life threatening. And with mere minutes and a little bit and hurt. So, for example, with his garlic allergy when he eats at certain places and I didn't know where they were going.

So I didn't have enough time to call the restaurant ahead of time, ask what their preparation looks like. Is there a dedicated area in the kitchen? Do you have, you know, for example, when he eats at places like ihop, I was.

I was praying. I was like, please go to IHOP or Denny's. Please go to IHOP or Denny's. Because I know.

We know. We've already investigated it. We know what the process is. He knows exactly what he can order on the menu. He knows exactly what things to ask them. Please bring me out an individual packet of boxes.

Water.

He knows the different things to do to request that he can have a safe experience.

But with sausage,

for example, sausage is notorious for having garlic in it. So people don't realize, like, oh, garlic, that sounds kind of rare, but that should be easy to avoid. No, it's in everything, like salt and pepper.

And so if they have a big griddle and they're cooking sausage on there,

he cannot have pancakes that are then thrown on that griddle after because there is remnants of garlic on there, and that could cause an allergic reaction for him. So he would have to make sure that there's a whole new pan or whatever that is that they were cooking on.

So those kind of things just educating people. And right now, I bet that my son, just by when they say, hey, why are you not eating at this place with us?

Why are you going to McDonald's? Even him simply saying, oh, because it's, you know, I haven't investigated this restaurant to know if it's safe for me or not. That little bit of education and people asking questions and learning is a great way to help spread awareness because it starts with one person,

right? So if one person, whether it's a coach or a teacher or a friend, and they ask that simple question, oh, why don't you eat here? Or why don't you eat this?

Or why, Whatever. And they learn a little bit more that spreads awareness with that one person so that they could be educated and share it with others. And then beyond this month, it's about building habits of awareness,

reading labels,

asking questions, and creating spaces where everyone feels safe and included. And that's one thing that I constantly invite people to do,

Especially with his garlic allergy. He is anaphylactic to garlic, which is so difficult.

He's more allergic to that. He's severely anaphylactic to peanut, but he's even more so very sensitive and allergic and anaphylactic to garlic. And so one of the things I've invited people to do when they kind of can't wrap their mind around it.

It seems like most people are a little bit more aware and educated about peanuts. That's not something that's they haven't heard about. But when we've told them about garlic, they're look at me funny because it's not as common.

I tell them, I say, I invite you when you go home to look at everything that you're eating for the day and read the label. And anything that says actually garlic, of course, but also anything that says natural flavors, seasonings, or spices, you can't eat that now and see how little you can eat that is prepackaged or whatnot,

and see how much your world shrinks.

And so just kind of those conversations that we naturally have with people and in inviting them to something as simple as I invite you to read label, maybe your allergy is wheat or milk and inviting them, yeah, I invite all through this rest of the day, read labels and see how many things you can't have now that you eat already that have wheat or,

you know, whatever it is.

Caroline: That is such an eye opening exercise. I've done that in classrooms before where I handed out boxes, you know, empty containers and so forth and said, let's pretend you have this allergy to these, like three different things and now choose the items you can actually eat.

And it was just, these are just such eye opening,

very impactful exercises. So that is a very good tip to share.

And so now, before we say goodbye today because our time went so fast,

is there anything else you want listeners to hear from you?

Lisa: Yes. If there is one thing I hope listeners take away,

it's that awareness truly matters. So we don't have to be completely perfectly educated and know everything about food allergies. We don't have to be medical doctors or nurses or any of those titles or things.

This could be our neighbor, our teacher, our coach, our friend, our boyfriend, our girlfriend, our whoever.

They could be aware.

Being aware truly matters. Again, I'll just keep using that experience if my son's teammates and coaches are simply aware of him.

Something as simple as saying to him, hey, I wish we would have gone somewhere that you could have eaten safe at too. Or, hey, I want to go over to McDonald's and get pancakes too.

Or hey, I, I realized that you weren't eating with the rest of us. I'm sorry that that happened.

Just being aware and then openly acknowledging it is huge. And it starts with each of us. You don't have to be a food allergy, family to make a difference. Compassion.

I think that's what we're ultimately talking about, right?

Compassion,

understanding and a willingness to learn can go such a long way. And for those living with this every day,

you are not alone. And it can sometimes feel that way and pretty heavy. There is a community here that sees you, that supports you. And even though it may not feel like it or you may not see them, we're all here and we are working alongside you to make the world a safer place.

And together we can make food allergies

Caroline: Invisible no more beautiful words to end by. Thank you so much Lisa for your time and your sharing of your stories and your thoughts. Because again, our stories are probably the most powerful tool we have.

So thank you again, Lisa, for your time.

Lisa: Absolutely. Thanks for having me.

Caroline: And listeners, before we say goodbye today,

I want to invite you to visit FAACT's website to learn more about the Invisible no More campaign to find information on how to participate in Food Allergy Awareness Week and month,

including cover photos and posts that you can use throughout the entire week of Food Allergy Awareness Week,

plus a proclamation kit that you can use to get an official proclamation acknowledging Food Allergy Awareness Week from your governor or your city within your state.

Just make sure you check the show notes and I'll have all the links in there for you.

Before we say goodbye today, I just

Caroline: want to take one more moment to

Caroline: say thank you to Genentech for their kind sponsorship of FAACT's Roundtable podcast. Also, I want to note that today's guest was not paid by or sponsored

Caroline: by Genentech to participate in this specific podcast.

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Have a great day and always be kind to one another.