Jenny with her daughter Annabelle. “I’m happy that I get to eat bread!”
For most people, this sounds like stating the obvious. But for little Annabelle, who lives with multiple food allergies, this was a very special moment in time. One that her family had to capture on video (scroll for video).
“What does bread usually have in it?” her mother Jenny Williamson chimed in. “Most bread has wheat in it. Do we eat wheat?”
“No, but mommy and daddy make it safe,” the 3-year-old says of the safe bread slice she’s trying.
Williamson first discovered her daughter’s food allergies at six months old, when Annabelle was fed scrambled eggs. Her skin became red, itchy and swollen. “In the following months, she had similar reactions to wheat and milk,” Williamson told Allergic Living. Before the little girl turned 2 years old, the family found out she was allergic to eggs, soy, wheat, peanuts, milk and dog dander.
“Finding safe foods for a child with multiple food allergies is extremely challenging,” says Williamson. “Masterful label reading, calling companies, going to multiple grocery stores is challenging at best, and often emotionally exhausting given the literal life-or-death nature of the extreme attention to detail that’s required.”
Safe Bread Solution a Hit
She says it’s a “celebration” when the family can add a new safe food to its pantry for Annabelle, which is why she documented the moment and shared it with the food allergy community. Williamson first posted this great video to the Facebook group NNMG Support Group and Forum.
“I wanted to share it with the food allergy community because I knew they would get it – the excitement of just being able to feed your child a ‘normal’ food,” says Williamson. And get it they did, offering supportive comments.
“My daughter’s food allergies are just one of many things that make her interesting, fun, brave, and beautiful,” says Williamson. “Her allergies don’t define her, but are certainly a large part of her daily life and the lives of those who love her.”
Williamson purchased the safe bread from Little Northern Bakehouse.
Read more:
Allergy Family’s Frosty Birthday Party Idea Proves a Big Hit
Food Allergy Mom Turns Parks Advocate – to Help Prevent Allergic Reactions
Taking a Food-Allergic Child Out to the Big Game
