Raising Awareness on a National Level

One of the reasons I write this blog is to raise awareness of food allergies. While my main reason is to help educate those who have a food allergic child, I also hope that those who do not know anyone with a peanut allergy stumble across my blog and leave more educated and sensitive to this issue.

Author Linda Coss is currently trying to raise awareness on a national level. She e-mailed me yesterday and asked my readers to help her do this. She is hoping to appear on Oprah, Rachel Ray, or Martha Stewart to talk about life threatening food allergies. While this would be an excellent place to promote her wonderful books, I think we can all see the issue has much further reaching goals: to raise awareness of food allergies.

Would you watch if she were on talking about her son's peanut allergy (and other life threatening food allergies)? I know I would! So would many of your PA kid's current and future classmates' parents. These shows reach a wide audience, including those very uneducated in the food allergy arena. Sometimes all it takes is hearing about it from a mom to help open their mind.

Here is what Linda said:

I’m asking you, your readers, and anyone else you can get to participate to go online to the shows’ “suggest a topic” pages and recommend that the program does a segment on life-threatening food allergies, with Food Allergy Author Linda Coss as the guest expert. You can say something from your heart about why they should cover this topic, and then say something about why you’re recommending Linda Coss as the guest expert. Possibilities here include the facts that I’m the articulate author of 3 food allergy books, a former support group leader with over 13 years of experience, the parent of a college-age child with multiple life-threatening allergies, and one of the “pioneers” in the food allergy world.

Here is how you can help: (Click on the link of the show name to contact them)

Oprah (fill out the form to contact the producers)

Rachael Ray (Scroll down to the bottom to the “Anything Goes” section and then click on “Hey you…what’s on your mind?” Be sure to click on the “pass it on” button and give them her email, Linda@FoodAllergyBooks.com)

Martha Stewart (Click on “Email Martha” on the left-hand side of the page)

I know that if we band together in this, we can raise awareness on this issue and educate others our child may come into contact with. Thanks for all your help!!