My 8 yr old son is one of the biggest baseball fan, but could never go to a professional baseball game due to his peanut allergy. We are blessed to have him, but almost lost him once due to peanut dust. We plan to visit your stadium and have my son see his first professional baseball game. We are excited!!! To bad none of the California teams has this opportunity because this is where we live.

What bothers me is that there are people in our society who chose to not take food allergies seriously because they don’t “understand” them, or don’t want to understand them. There have been increases in MANY issues that affect the immune system, and no one seems to know why. Could it be genetically modified foods, vaccines, our overly clean societies, hormones in plastics, lead in toys? What is it going to take for society to step up and start asking WHY instead of ignoring what is going on with our children? What good does going after families whose children this has affected do?

Why would anyone be against more children attending a baseball game when they seats would go unused anyway? I’m not sure I understand how adults on this blog make fun of children who have these severe health issues. Because it’s a peanut that could kill them it’s somehow funny? I know it’s hard to fathom, but it’s true. Comments about wrapping in bubble wrap, etc. are VERY hurtful and damaging to these families that are affected. Adults should not talk to each other this way. Do you make fun of people whose health issues you don’t understand and don’t take the time to educate yourselves about? Is that fun?

We all need to have more understanding and realize that we don’t understand EVERYTHING, and that lately, there have been no answers, just the fact that there is a rise in food allergies, asthma, ADHD and autism. If you need another story about a fatality caused by a peanut allergy to prove a point, here is a story that just happened this past Feb. An 8 year old boy in Indiana lost his battle with peanut allergy, and with better education and understanding as a society, this possibly could have been prevented: http://tristatehomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=5678

Please take the time to educate yourselves before mean comments are made. We’re adults here, and lead should lead by example, not be bullies.

I’ve been out earning a living (and eating peanuts, actually) while some folks here have been carrying on about how I don’t understand.

My husband, (age 54) was an asthmatic kid, and still (!)gets breathing attacks so severe we’ve had to stop at a fire department looking for an EMT with a medic kit because he didn’t have an inhaler and we were miles from any store where we could have purchased one. I have a friend who goes into anaphalaxis when she is exposed to poison ivy. I’ve had such a severe reaction to about 100 mosquito bites in a half hour that I became short of breath, and without my quick thinking about getting to a store for some Benadryl, things could have gotten much worse. As for as the cigarette smoke + cat dander not killing me (I don’t mind the sneezing; it’s when the throat starts swelling and the lungs get wheezy that things get rather serious.)I have friends who smoke and have cats; the only way I can see them is to take a course of antihistamines a couple of hours before I go, and leave at the first sign of trouble. I grew up in a house with two smoking parents and it didn’t bother me; I couldn’t even go back to see my dad in his later years without the antihistamine treatment beforehand…just the smoke embedded in my childhood home set me off.

I cannnot believe that, if this is the big problem everyone says, that no reasonable prophylaxis has been devised.

In answer to Pat C: I bet it’s ultimately not really peanuts or other nuts the kids are allergic to, but something in the growing or modern processing. I remember when peanut butter was just peanuts, salt and water. Unfortunately, few people grow peanuts the way they did in the early 20th century, so we’ll probably never know, as testing is probably dangerous. I wonder if people can be desensitized to peanuts as they can be to poison ivy? Not that the allergy ever really goes away, but it can be downsized from life-threatening to merely serious.

I guess these kids can’t go to the George Washington Carver National Historic Site near Diamond, Missouri, either.

If this is for a special event, fine, do whatever. Even an annual special event. You’re not taking my baseball seat, as I haven’t been to a game since about 1984 or so. (The team is still called the Cardinals, no?) But, nature is cruel. Culling individuals is how the species survives, and the kids are going to have to adapt to their condition,and their environment or not make it to reproduce. (How are they going to be able to work anywhere near vending machines, common in workplaces and often filled with peanut products? Because of one person with a peanut allergy, 400 people in a cube farm don’t get their Planters and Baby Ruths? I think not.)

And don’t even think about flying Southwest.

The parents of these children with food allergies don’t want to keep them in bubbles, off airlines, etc. and have had experiences that they are reacting too. Those families who chose to attend the game are families whose children’s peanut allergy may not be as severe as others. We’re talking they might have a reaction if someone touched them and had peanut oil on their hands, not by the peanut dust in the air like others have. Parents of children with food allergies are VERY aware of the risks and how life really is, that’s the whole point. We want to raise our children to be responsible adults who can take care of themselves wherever they go. Adults and children will be attending the game with severe peanut allergies.

It is about the baseball teams providing a space that will have LESS peanut shells, dust,etc. We KNOW this as parents of children with these severe allergies. We will prepare our children about the possible risks as we always do without making it too much of an issue so they can enjoy a baseball game. Oh yeah, and a vending machine is a closed area. The peanuts would only pose a risk if you ate them and kissed/touched some children with peanut allergies, but true that there may be peanut oil everywhere! See how fun it is to think about all the possible exposures! Those possible exposures could be life threatening to some, but we will try to teach our children how to adjust as we do everyday!

Allergies are real and life threatening….not just sniffles and rashes. People die from severe allergic reactions. Just because it doesn’t affect you, doesn’t mean it isn’t real or it is someone’s imaginations. The lack of public awareness regarding allergies has resulted in the uneducated and mean-spirited comments I have read on this blog. People give more consideration and concern to animals and their rights. What kind of society have we become? Yes, allergies force people to live differently and cause parents to protect their children from allergens. It is a daily challenge for those affected, while we don’t expect the world to accommodate us, it sure is nice to have certain establishments show kind gestures. If individuals like ‘Teresa’ or ‘Brontosaurus’ had these allergies, they would mostly likely be the biggest advocates for accommodations. Sometimes I think people get jealous because others receive kind treatment. And regarding Dr. Zira, well, forget it….no comment.

I have no problem with a “Peanut-Free Section” and I have no problem with a “Smoke-Free Section”. But why can’t both smokers and peanut eaters be accommodated?

http://keepstlouisfree.blogspot.com/

I can still remember back when .0000001% of the population didn’t set the rules for the other 99.99999%.

Oh good lord people! As ludicrous as I find the school total bans, I think this is completely acceptable. It is one section. It’s not like it’s some behind the plate box seats, either.

Teresa/Steve/All Others That Don’t Get It,

You are obviously not informed on how dangerous peanut allergy (or any other food) reactons can be. It is not sneezing or just a rash. It is a life and death situation. It is not like my child just does not like the smell of peanuts. It is too bad that it is called allergy because too many people put it in the same category as hay fever etc. We go to the allergist 2 times a year for a blood test to see how high the numbers are for peanuts. I only wish there was a quick fix to prevent reactions such as a pill or a shot. Reseachers are trying to find cures. Don’t you think that all of the parents would be having our children get shots if there was one? We carry an EpiPen Jr. shot with us at all times just in case he has a reaction. It is only to be used after a reaction occurs. My son’s teacher has one in the classroom. (And yes, I do think that is fine. I am a teacher too, and I have had 2 children within the past 2 years with peanut allergies in my classroom). My son has a classmate who has a peanut allergy as well. It is very common. We live in constant fear of our children having a reaction while trying to act normal and calm so that our children will not feel afraid or different. My son is a 6 year old child who has to deal with this serious situation. He is an energetic boy who loves all sports. My family and I appreciate what the St. Louis Cardinals are doing! They do not know how meaningful this will be for my son who is only playing tee-ball now, but that has big baseball dreams just like many other kids without allergies!

p.s. I only hope that if some family member close to you develops any food allergies you will be more compassionate to them!

Teresa,

You couldn’t be more wrong if you tried with your assumptions on the causes of peanut allergies. For most it’s life long and doesn’t get better with age to be “just serious and not life threatening”. Your correlations to your own experience with allergies are not the same. Lookup the term “IgE” allergic reaction in some place other than that crackerjacks box you got your diploma from and then think twice before spouting off your own personal medical beliefs like you were some Havard train expert on the subject.