Educate, Support, Empower....

My mission, spelled out here in our mission: The FPIES Foundation is dedicated to overcoming the challenges of FPIES by offering tools for education, support, and advocacy to empower families and the medical community.   A mission and a vision shared with some other forward thinking families helping accomplish this dream, a dream born months ago.  Over a year ago.....

Before our son's diagnosis, it took many months to narrow down, and rule out, what was making him sick. Doing the research was empowering, finding other families going through the same experiences was like coming home. The support not only saved my soul but educated me. 

I joined an amazing group of families going through similar experiences on support forums and began to see the need for this invaluable shared information to be compiled, and connected, for families just beginning their journey in FPIES.  So much knowledge locked up in these support forums, now all sitting in my head, heavy in my heart that moms, like me, laying awake at night wondering what to do about the vomiting, about the crying, about the lack of weight gain, the weight loss, and what to FEED their child, their infant baby, and why is this so hard? and is there anyone else out there going through this?

I continued to learn more from the research that is available about FPIES and Non-IgE food allergy. There is so little known, much less understood about this rare allergy.   A rare allergy that primarily affects infants at a time when you should be enjoying their sweet baby smells and not cleaning up vomit, a time when coos and giggles should be heard and not screams of pain; a time when you are enjoying being a mom instead of losing so much time in doctor visit after doctor visit.  

This journey has been difficult, I know I share much of that here- not in pleas for sympathy but in sharing our story might help another family feel less alone.  In raising awareness.   Along this journey, I have met so many families.  Families from other country's, families from all over this country, families with classic FPIES children, families that share Little Man's atypical FPIES symptoms, so many connections made, so many new friendships born. A common bond within a rare disease.   A handful of these families shared a vision to create this Foundation. I am proud to be among the founding members of this great foundation.  I will strive to help provide reliable medical information for families to connect with a team of doctors to help their FPIES child thrive, improved treatment plans to increase the quality of life for all children affected by this diagnosis, as well as supportive services for families struggling within the stages of this chronic illness.

Educate, Support, Empower.   Join us at The FPIES Foundation