Asthma & Allergy - Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ...

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Asthma & Allergy - Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ...
SUMMER, 2017

Asthma & Allergy                                                                  Bulletin
    Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America • New England Chapter

                         ALLERGY MANAGEMENT
  Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management in Massachusetts Schools
by Michael Pistiner, MD, MMSc       School Food Allergy and              the care of a child with a food
                                    Anaphylaxis Management               allergy must effectively read
This article originally published                                        labels, prevent cross contact,
on AllergyHome.org. Adapted by      Effective food allergy               use efficient cleaning, and
Michael Pistiner for use by AAFA    management is needed at all          communicate clearly. They must
New England.                        times and all circumstances.         also be prepared for allergic
                                    Prevention and emergency             emergencies. Anyone responsible
                                    preparedness are the pillars         for a child with food allergies
                                    of food allergy management.          must be able to recognize a
                                    Small amounts of a food that         severe allergic reaction, have
                                    someone is allergic to can           epinephrine (treatment of choice
                                    cause anaphylaxis (a severe, life    for anaphylaxis) available, know
                                    threatening, allergic reaction).     when and how to use it, and
                                    To prevent exposure to food          know to immediately contact
                                    allergens anyone responsible for      (continued on page 3)

                                RESEARCH UPDATE
                Landmark Study: Environmental Impact on Asthma
by Lisa Bartnikas, MD               disease of the lungs, affecting      cockroach, cat, dog, dust mite,
                                    more than 7.0 million children       mouse and rat. Mouse, rat and
Children spend a majority of        in the US and resulting in more      cockroach allergen is detected
their time in schools, yet little   than 14 million missed school        when there is an infestation
is known about how school           days per year. It is characterized   by these pests. Cat and dog
environmental allergen exposure     by repeated episodes of              allergen is detected in homes of
affects asthma symptoms. In         wheezing, shortness of breath,       pet owners and in schools when
a recent study, researchers         chest tightness and nighttime        people with pets at home bring
attempted to understand how         coughing. Although there is no       the allergen into the schools
environmental allergens found       cure for asthma, once way that       on their clothing. Dust mites
in schools affected children’s      symptoms can be controlled is        are microscopic bugs that are
asthma.                             by avoiding potential triggers.      commonly found in upholstered
                                    Environmental allergens              furniture, carpets, bedding and
Asthma is a common, chronic         commonly found indoors include       (continued on page 4)
Asthma & Allergy - Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ...
A Message from our NEW
                                            Executive Director

                                   Dear Friends & Supporters,
2017 AAFA New England
BOARD OF DIRECTORS                 I am pleased to be here at the New England Chapter of Asthma & Allergy
                                   Foundation of America serving those in New England that suffer from
Jan Hanson, MA, President          asthma and allergies. I am committed to helping people enjoy a “Life
Suzanne Ginouves, Vice President   without Limits”!
Judi McAuliffe, RN, Clerk
Lyndsay King, CPA, Treasurer       2017 is a year of change and progress for AAFA New England – not only
Paul Antico                        am I the new Executive Director, we have a new President of the Board
                                   of Directors, Jan Hanson, as well as, a new Treasurer, Lyndsay King. A
Lisa Bartnikas, MD
                                   Medical Advisory Board was recently created consisting of Dr. Jennifer
Rachel Kurlantzick, Esq.
                                   LeBovidge, Dr. Lisa Bartnikas, Dr. Michael Pistiner and Dr. Susan Rudders.
Jennifer LeBovidge, PhD
                                   We look forward to working with them on new programming that will get
Robert Stoker
                                   information and support out to our membership all across New England.
Elizabeth TePas, MD
Mark Uzzell                        AAFA NE has spent many years at the forefront of education, advocacy,
                                   support and awareness for those in the New England area with asthma and
MEDICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE         allergies and we will continue to move forward with that mission.
Jennifer LeBovidge, PhD, Chair
                                   My education as a lawyer and my previous experience as a Capitol Hill
Lisa Bartnikas, MD
                                   staffer and lobbyist gives me a tremendous amount of strategic capabilities
Michael Pistiner, MD
                                   and coalition building expertise that will assist our community. I have
Susan A. Rudders, MD
                                   spent several years in fundraising and relationship development which will
                                   help AAFA NE as we move into a new era of strategic partnerships and
HONORARY DIRECTORS                 generating sustainable revenue sources.
Irving Bailit, MD
Bette Barbadoro                    I am extremely grateful to all of you for your support – without you we could
                                   not provide our services and programs. Our deepest gratitude goes to The
George Behrakis
                                   Thoracic Foundation for their grant that makes this newsletter possible. In
Cynthia Daley
                                   addition, thank you to our 2017 Corporate Partners – MSIC and Perfectly
Joseph Ferney
                                   Free - we look forward to a productive year. We are looking forward
Hon. Gordon Martin, Jr.
                                   creating partnerships and working with the entire New England community
Frank J. Twarog, MD PhD            to advance our mission.

FOUNDING PRESIDENT
Albert L. Sheffer, MD              Thank you!
(1929-2015)
                                   Karen Lynch Calton
                                   Executive Director
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Karen Lynch Calton

                                                2
Asthma & Allergy - Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ...
ALLERGY MANAGEMENT (continued from page 1)

emergency services. Prevention        and bullying. Educated and             Food Allergy in Massachusetts’
and preparedness are always           aware school communities can           Schools: MA Guidelines for the
needed and the school setting         help create supportive and             management of Food Allergies in
is no exception. Effective food       safe environments for students         School
allergy management needs              with food allergy. Awareness
sound policy and well trained and     and understanding can help             MA has lead the country in
knowledgeable administration,         create communities of support          food allergy management in US
school nurses, school staff, and      and inclusion and prevent              schools. It was first state in its to
school community.                     divisiveness. Policies and             implement the use of food allergy
                                      procedures must be implemented         guidelines and also the first to
School-wide Food Allergy              to not only manage a child’s           establish mandated reporting of
Education is an Enormous and          direct care but also include food      epinephrine administrations in
Important Responsibility              allergy education and awareness        its schools. Here in MA we are
                                      for all staff, parents, students and   blessed with many schools having
                                      others in the school community.        full time school nurses and the
In the past, parents shouldered
the responsibility to teach those                                            MA DPH School Health Service
responsible for the care of their     Staff Food Allergy Training            Unit. Used together, since the
child with food allergies. Families                                          guidelines creation, there has not
have also been expected to            School staff food allergy and          been a food allergy related death
educate the other parents and         anaphylaxis education is not           in a MA school. The guidelines
their child’s classmates. Having      only necessary in creating             were updated in 2016 and
parents of individual students        communities of support but             continue to stand out as strong
teach staff, as well as other         critically important from a            and practical guidance document
parents and students, can be a        practical and emergency                that can be used as by schools
huge responsibility and challenge     perspective. Staff can extend          to help create and implement
. Social dynamics can sabotage        the reach of a school nurse and        sound policies. Managing
even the best educational effort.     all play a role in their “team”        Life Threatening Allergies in
Also, some families of children       when it comes to preventing            Schools, apply to public, private
and children with food allergies      accidental exposure and dealing        and charter schools as well as
may feel uncomfortable. Some          with allergic emergencies.             elementary, middle and high
children unfortunately have been      They are also key players in           schools. The 2016 update not
singled out and the subject of        food allergy management for            only includes an updated and
teasing or bullying by others.        individual students. In MA select      refreshed version of the MA
                                      staff are trained to administer        Guidelines but also, like the CDC
                                      epinephrine when the school            Voluntary Guidelines(Federal
Educated Schools Help Keep
                                      nurse is unavailable. Current          Guidelines based on the original
Children With Food Allergies
                                      regulation though, do not allow        MA Guidelines), include targeted
Safe and Happy
                                      for unlicensed staff to administer     education of students and
                                      epinephrine to a student or staff      parents in addition to staff and
The school culture and attitudes                                             administration. These guidelines
                                      member with allergies not known
of parents, teachers, and other                                              serve as an excellent foundation
                                      to the school. Staff education
children set the tones in our                                                for schools to implement school
                                      and understanding are key to
schools. Misperceptions and                                                  policies and efficiently take
                                      establishing safe and supportive
negative attitudes about food                                                on the responsibility of school
                                      school communities.
allergies can lead to teasing                                                (continued on page 5)
                                                     3
Asthma & Allergy - Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ...
RESEARCH UPDATE (continued from page 1)

stuffed animals. People who         This study is unique                         found in different levels in their
are allergic to these things can    because it is the first                      schools.
experience symptoms including       to comprehensively
sneezing, runny nose, cough,                                                     This fascinating study provides
                                    evaluate asthma
and itchy, red or watery eyes.                                                   further insight into the effects
                                    symptoms resulting from
People with asthma who have                                                      of environmental allergen
                                    environmental allergen
these allergies can experience                                                   exposure on asthma in children.
                                    exposure in schools.
worsening of their asthma.                                                       This study looked specifically at
                                                                                 allergen exposure in the school
Previous studies have shown         followed by cat in 94.8%, dog in             setting, where large numbers of
that asthma complications are       82.6% and dust mite in 46.5%.                children spend the majority of
higher in minorities and low-       Rat and cockroach were rarely                their days, and demonstrated
income groups in inner-city         found in schools. Levels of                  that the school environment is an
neighborhoods. Other studies        mouse allergen found in schools              important contributor to asthma
have shown that exposure            were significantly higher than               symptoms in children. In the
to particular environmental         levels found in students’ homes.             future, finding ways to decrease
allergens in inner-city homes is                                                 levels of mouse allergen in
associated with worse asthma        The key finding in this study                schools could have a large and
outcomes, and interventions         was that children with asthma                positive impact on the many
to reduce home exposure             exposed to higher levels of                  schoolchildren with asthma.
to these allergens improves         mouse allergen in schools had                References:
asthma outcomes. This study         more days of asthma symptoms                 1.Sheehan WJ, Permaul P, Petty CR, Coull
is unique because it is the first   and worse lung function.                     BA, Baxi SN, Gaffin JM, Lai PS, Gold DR,
to comprehensively evaluate         Interestingly, this finding was              Phipatanakul W. Association Between
asthma symptoms resulting from      true regardless of whether the               Allergen Exposure in Inner-City Schools
environmental allergen exposure     children had mouse allergy.                  and Asthma Morbidity Among Students.
in schools.                         None of the other indoor                     JAMA Pediatr. 2017;171(1):31-8. doi:
                                    allergens were associated                    10.1001/jamapediatrics.2016.2543.
Allergen levels were measured       with worse asthma outcomes.                  PubMed PMID: 27893060; PMCID:
in dust samples collected from      The authors acknowledged                     PMC5349325.
classrooms from inner-city          that their findings may not be               2.https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/
public elementary schools in the    generalizable to other cities,               asthmadata.htm
northeastern US. 351 students       which may have allergens
ages 4-13 years with asthma            Lisa M. Bartnikas, MD is an Allergist/Immunologist at
from 38 elementary schools were        Boston Children’s Hospital and Instructor in Pediatrics
followed for 1 year during this        at Harvard Medical School. ​She treats children in the
                                       Allergy/Immunology Clinic, as well as in the Food
5-year study.                          Allergy Program and Interstitial Lung Disease Program
                                       at Boston Children’s Hospital. She has research
In this study, mouse allergen          interests in evaluation and management of food
was the most prevalent allergen,       allergies.

detected in 99.5% of schools,

                                                     4
Asthma & Allergy - Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ...
ALLERGY MANAGEMENT (continued from page 3)
community education. Parents          allergies, in addition to requiring
and schools no longer need to         staff training to implement                    Please help support SB
recreate the wheel to manage a        policies. SB228 also addresses                 228 by contacting your
student’s food allergies.             availability of stock epinephrine              Massachusetts legislators
                                      and necessary training so that                 and requesting that they co-
                                      if a full time school nurse is not             sponsor the bill.
Senate Bill 228, An Act to
Establish Food Allergy Plans          immediately available, even a
                                      first time anaphylactic reaction             Please see Schools.AllergyHome.
                                      can be treated with epinephrine.             org for free Food Allergy and
Senate Bill 228: An Act to
                                      If passed, these regulations                 Anaphylaxis Educational
Establish Food Allergy Plans,
                                      will build on the already                    Material that is consistent with
was filed January 2017. It was
                                      comprehensive MA guidelines                  the MA and CDC Guidelines and
proposed and drafted by Dr.
                                      by making policy, education, and             designed to educate entire school
Christine Olsen of FASI(Food
                                      stock epinephrine availability               communities.
Allergy Science Initiative) and
                                      necessary instead of voluntary.
Senator Cynthia Creem, with
input by local experts in food         Michael Pistiner, MD, MMSc is a Boston based
allergy and school health. SB          pediatric allergist and Director of Food
228 is a solid piece of legislation    Allergy Advocacy, Education and Prevention
that will help MA continue to          for MassGeneral Hospital for Children’s, Food
                                       Allergy Center. He is a voluntary consultant for
lead our nation when it comes
                                       the Massachusetts Department of Public Health
to managing students with life         School Service Unit and the father of a child with
threatening allergies. SB 228          food allergy. He serves as a medical adviser for
is currently under review and          the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America,
requires that all MA schools           New England Chapter. Dr. Pistiner is the author
                                       of Everyday Cool with Food Allergies, a co-author
create a policy, that addresses
                                       of Living Confidently with Food Allergy, and co-
prevention and emergency               founder and content creator of AllergyHome.org.
preparedness for managing food

 Upcoming Events presented by AAFA New England

 Presentation by Michael Pistiner, MD, MMSc on food allergy management in
 Massachusetts schools.
 This event will be scheduled at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in early September. Details to follow on AAFA New
 England website.

 Coming this fall to our website: New webinar feature where presentations can be
 viewed.

 Kyle Dine Family Concerts - October dates and locations to be announced on our website.

           Visit www.asthmaandallergies.org for more information.

                                                      5
Asthma & Allergy - Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ...
The wonderfully entertaining Tufts Beelzebubs left the crowd with smiles
on their faces and music in their hearts! A wonderful night was had by all
as we supported the programs and services that help people with asthma
and allergies live full and healthy lives.

                              The Tufts University Beelzebubs seranade Blair Stone, Miss Granite State,
   Photos by Carla Uzzell
                            whose “Appetite for Awareness” platform directly benefits AAFA New England.

                                               6
Asthma & Allergy - Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ...
AAFA New England thanks our many sponsors and donors!

                             Breath of Spring 2017 Sponsors
                                                Corporate Partner
                          Massachusetts Credit Union Share Insurance Corporation (MSIC)

                     Benefactor                                                 Gold Patron
                 Genentech / Novartis                                   New England Society of Allergy

Silver Patron
Asthma & Allergy Affiliates (Salem, Danvers & No. Andover, MA), Boston Children’s Hospital - Division of Immunology,
Michele and Bill Carrick - Executive Home Detox, Massachusetts General Hospital Food Allergy Center, Mylan,
Northeast Asthma, Allergy & Immunology (Leominster, Sudbury, Newton & Medford, MA), Debbie and John Saryan,
Shire, Sunbutter, Teva Respiratory

Supporter
Allergy & Asthma Center of MA (Chestnut Hill, MA),Baystate Financial / Mark Uzzell, Boston Children’s Hospital
Asthma Programs, Brigham & Women’s Hospital - Asthma Research Center and Severe Asthma Program, Jennifer and
Jason LeBovidge, Lincoln Diagnostics, Margaret and Robert Stoker

Friend
Allergy & Asthma Associates South (Duxbury & Buzzard’s Bay, MA), Allergy & Asthma Care (Taunton, MA)
Allergy & Asthma Treatment Specialists (Framingham, MA), Educating For Food Allergies, LLC, Suzanne Ginouves,
Michele Gottlieb, MD, Rachel Kurlantzick & Jeremy Hershfield, Massachusetts School Nurse Organization, Carol and
Robert Riley, Judith Saryan, Arlene Saryan & Christian Alexander, South Shore Allergy & Asthma Specialists (South
Weymouth, MA)

Contributor
Allergic Living Magazine, Jane T.N. Fogg, Marvin Grossman, Benjamin Krikorian, MBA, CFP, Johanna & Jeffrey
Longnecker, Judi McAuliffe, Patricia Pires, Sharon Schumack, The Strategy Group,
Frank J. Twarog, MD, PhD

Delicious desserts were donated by:

                                                           7
Asthma & Allergy - Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ...
IN HER OWN VOICE
Why I Have an “Appetite for Food Allergy Awareness”
By Blair Stone, Miss Granite       not only close to my heart, but    AAFA New England signs and
State                              that was something relevant        matching teal decorations and
                                   that people could relate to.       they kindly donated 15% of
The Miss Granite State             Despite the fact that I have       their proceeds that I helped
crown stands for four things:      no allergies of my own, my         generate that evening to the
scholarship, success, style and    interest in the field has been     AAFA New England Chapter.
service. A huge part of what       instilled in me since I was a      It was a great feeling to know
the Miss America Program is        little girl. My father is very     that an event I planned and
about is most definitely the       passionate about his work and      hosted was able to help an
service that the contestants       it has inspired me to develop      organization that helps those
provide to their community,                                           that suffer from allergies and
in turn making their region a                                         asthma in my community.
better and brighter place. It
is extremely important that                                           Until I pass on my title in
people who are not a part of                                          January 2018, I hope to
the pageant community know                                            continue hosting events and
how much service plays a role                                         keep spreading awareness
in the Miss America Program.                                          about my platform to everyone
                                                                      I come in contact with. You
Some of my earliest memories                                          will see me on August 6th at
are being so excited to see                                           the “Nut Free” Red Sox game
my daddy, the “alligator,” (his                                       at Fenway Park at the AAFA
beloved nickname since I                                              New England table with my
couldn’t say allergist), when      a platform based on helping        crown and sash for my next
he came home from a busy           people with life-threatening       attempt at letting the public
day at work. His laugh was         food allergies called, “Appetite   know about the importance of
contagious every time I called     for Awareness.”                    allergy awareness! To purchase
him an alligator and he always                                        tickets to this Red Sox game
reminded me how important          Not only have I done a vast        and get a chance to meet me,
his work was and that he           amount of research in order        learn about allergies and enjoy
helped people every day. As I      to find ways to help those         a peanut free baseball game,
got older, I watched the allergy   that have food allergies, I        email www.peanutallergy@
field expand through my            have conducted fundraisers         redsox.com.
father’s profession and heard      that help raise money and
more and more stories about        awareness of the AAFA New
people I did and did not know      England Chapter. My most
suffer from life-threatening       recent fundraiser took place
food allergies.                    at Not Your Average Joe’s in
                                   Nashua, New Hampshire. Not
When I decided to start            Your Average Joe’s let me
competing in pageants, I knew      set up a generous portion
I needed a platform that was,      of their dining room with

                                                  8
Asthma & Allergy - Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ...
THANK YOU TO OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS

  AAFA New England is grateful for the                                 ASTHMA & ALLERGY BULLETIN
  support of our Corporate Partners for                                 Published three times a year by the
                                                                       Asthma and Allergy Foundation of
  2017. Their generous support allows us                                          America
                                                                            New England Chapter
  to provide valuable resources to help our                                        781-444-7778
                                                                             e-mail: aafane@aafane.org
  members live life fully with asthma and
                                                                                  Karen Lynch Calton
  allergies.                                                                      Executive Director

                                                                             Published with a grant from
                                                                              The Thoracic Foundation
                                                                       The Asthma and Allergy Foundation
                                                                       of America, New England Chapter, is
                                                                       dedicated to helping people with asthma
                                                                       and allergic diseases, and those who care
                                                                       for them, through education, support
                                                                       for research and an array of services.

                                                                       Information contained in this newsletter should
                                                                       not be used as a substitute for responsible
                                                                       professional care to diagnose and treat
                                                                       specific symptoms and illness. Any reference
                                                                       to available products and procedures should
                                                                       not be construed as an endorsement. AAFA
                                                                       New England, including all parties to or
                                                                       associated with this newsletter, will not be held
                                                                       responsible for any action taken by readers as
                                                                       a result of the newsletter. ©2017. All rights
                                                                       reserved. Material may not be reproduced
                                                                       without    permission    of     the    publisher.

             Brookline Boy Birthday Gift -                                      PAWTUCKET RED SOX
            Donation for AAFA New England                                        PROUDLY PRESENT

                                                                            PEANUT ALLERGY FRIENDLY
In April, AAFA New England          use his. Donations like this not                NIGHT
received a donation in Honor        only warm our hearts but help
of Will Eddy a 6-year-old from                                          MONDAY, AUGUST 21ST 7:05 PM
Brookline who invited guests
                                                                         NO PEANUT PRODUCTS WILL BE SOLD
to his birthday party and asked                                            INSIDE THE PARK ON THIS NIGHT
them to, instead of bringing
him presents, donate to a                                                    For more information contact:
charity of their choice. One                                                   Jon Basler 401- 721-5172
                                                                                 jbasler@pawsox.com
of his friends contributed $50
to AAFA New England to help
support people who need to
use inhalers since his father has   AAFA New England serve its
asthma and he has seen him          members and the community.

                                                 9
Asthma & Allergy - Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ...
Important Information for You
 SUMMER STOCK-UP: AUTO-INJECTOR SAVINGS PROGRAMS
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Make sure to stock up on your auto-injectors. Take                EpiPen® Auto-Injector). For full terms and conditions, visit
advantage of these savings programs to help lighten               http://www.epipen.com/copay
the financial burden.
                                                                  Auvi-Q
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Save up to $25 on Mylan’s Ephinephrine Injection, USP             through AUVI-Q AffordAbility™and the direct delivery
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to amend or end this program at any time without notice.          home, and can ensure the best expiration dating for
Visit www.my-generic-epinephrine-auto-injector.com                AUVI-Q. There is also support for patients who can’t
                                                                  afford their medication and who do not have commercial
EpiPen by Mylan                                                   or government insurance. For more information visit:
Are you eligible to get your EpiPen® Auto Injectors for           https://www.auvi-q.com/affordability/
free with the My EpiPen Savings Card®? With this savings
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six (6) EpiPen 2-Pak® cartons now through December 31,            injection, USP Auto-Injector which is authorized generic
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the pharmacy, and keep bringing it every time you refill          the offer along with the patient’s valid prescription.
your prescription. Read the Terms and Conditions, and fill        Commercially-insured and cash-paying patients may
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restrictions apply. Not valid for patients enrolled in federal    epinephrine auto-injector two-pack. For more details visit
or state healthcare programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid,         http://epinephrineautoinject.com/
and TriCare, and not valid for uninsured patients (except

       BECOME A MEMBER OR RENEW YOUR                                  MAKE A DONATION TO AAFA NEW ENGLAND
                MEMBERSHIP!

   Membership in AAFA New England helps you and                       Donations are gratefully accepted via check
   others with asthma and allergies to enjoy fuller                   made payable to:
   lives.
                                                                      AAFA New England or credit card on our
     r Individual $25                  r Professional $100
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                                                                      Honor your friends and relatives
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   website www.asthmaandallergies.org                                 matching contribution to AAFA New England.

                                                                 10
Around AAFA New England

                    World Asthma Day May 2, 2017
                    Executive Director of AAFA NE, Karen
                    Calton, attended World Asthma Day
                    at Boston Children’s Hospital where
                    she distributed educational material,
                    played the “Asthma Challenge Game”
                    with passers-by and spoke with many
                    patients and families about asthma
                    and how AAFA NE is helping to raise
                    awareness, educate patients and
                    families and support those suffering
                    from this disease.

If you want to help raise                  Miss Granite State,
money for AAFA NE,                           Blair Stone at the
please contact Karen                        Fundraiser at Not
Calton, Karen@aafane.org                   Your Average Joe’s
Getting involved is the                       earlier this year.
best way to help others!

               Food Allergy Awareness Week 2017
                               grader, Catherine Dupuis,           threatening food allergies.
                               who has life-threatening            Catherine shared, “It was
                               food allergies. To help             truly inspiring to see the
                               raise awareness, Catherine          entire school light up
                               came up with the idea of            with teal bow ties. Each
                               making teal bow ties for            morning our principal
                               her school community to             shared important facts
                               wear on “Bow Tie Friday.”           about food allergies with
                               When friends heard about            the other students, this
                               her idea, many of whom              was a great way to reach
                               have, or are affected               everyone. I chose this
                               by food allergies, they             project because I wanted
                               jumped in to help with the          to raise awareness for those
                               project. The result – over          living with life threatening
Food Allergy Awareness         900 duct tape bow ties              food       allergies,    like
Week 2017 was celebrated       were made and delivered             myself.” Congratulations,
in a special way at the        to the school, and were             Catherine, for helping to
Florence Sawyer School         worn by both students and           raise awareness about
in Bolton, MA, thanks to       staff to show their support         food allergies in such a
the initiative of fourth       of those living with life-          creative way!

                                          11
NON-PROFIT
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                                                                                               U.S. POSTAGE
                                                                                                    PAID
                                                                                               BOSTON, MA
                                                                                             PERMIT NO. 58109
          109 HIGHLAND AVE.
          NEEDHAM, MA 02494
          Tel: 781-444-7778
          E-mail: aafane@aafane.org
          www.asthmaandallergies.org

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 INSIDE THIS ISSUE...
 Allergy Management in
 Massachusetts Schools by Michael
 Pistiner, MD, MMSc

 Meet our new Executive Director,
 Karen Lynch Calton
 Breath of Spring 2017

 Upcoming Events:
 Kyle Dine Family Concerts- Oct. 2017

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