The Super Allergy Girl Blog

Allergy Testing: My Allergy Test and Other Testing

When it comes to allergies and allergy testing there is no question that it can get confusing for the consumer. I am very excited to share with you a new testing tool for consumers, which I believe will dramatically empower consumers and change the medical testing landscape. The new testing tool is called My Allergy Test®, which is an FDA cleared testing kit for in-vitro diagnostic use. What this means to consumers is that for around $60.00 you can purchase a kit to be IgE tested (you can find the difference between IgE and non-IgE mediated allergies on my website under resources) without having to see a primary care physician or allergist. This is a real tool for consumers.

The company who makes the MyAllergyTest® kit is ImmuneTech, and you can visit their website at: www.ImmuneTech.com for more information. The MyAllergyTest® kit tests for some of the most common allergens including: 4 pollens -Timothy Grass, Bermuda Grass, Mountain Cedar (Juniper), Short Ragweed; 1 mold - Alternaria; 3 foods - Milk, Egg White, Wheat; and 2 others - Cat and House Dust Mite. I was so excited when I found about the existence of this product!! Why? Because it puts some power in the hands of the consumer when it comes to their health. I see several areas where this product will be helpful to consumers.

One is to determine if they have an IgE mediated allergy to the allergens being tested for in the kit. While, yes, the kit is limited to ten allergens - the fact that you can get this testing on your own without seeing a doctor is helpful for those consumers whose primary care doctor will not refer them to an allergist. Now a consumer can take the results into their physician - assuming there are some positive results - and make a request to be referred to an allergist and have real data as the basis for the request. It is also helpful to consumers if their test results are positive to milk, egg whites or wheat to know immediate to avoid these foods. They can then seek the appropriate medical advice from their physician on how to proceed with further testing or avoidance.

This kit also opens up new doors for consumers, in my humble opinion, who do not have health insurance. For the cost, this is valid, scientific testing that can be a tool for consumers with limited or no access to health care to help them sort out what might be causing particular symptoms that are allergy related. The kit is easy to use. Yes, I did use one on myself so I know exactly how easy it is to use. I was most intimidated by the lancet in the kit. You only need a very small amout of blood - this is a finger stick type of test. You mail the contents of the kit back to the company as instructed in their directions, and you will receive an e-mail directing you to go to the company website where you can view, download and print your test results. It really is that simple! 

This is a picture of the front of the MyAllergyTest® Kit.

You can order the MyAllergyTest® kit directly from the company or find out more about the company or the kit through their website: www.ImmuneTech.com. My results showed that I had no IgE allergies to the ten items tested! Whew! What a relief! The most intimidating aspect to me was using the lancet. This is really a finger-stick test, which means you only need a few drops of blood from your finger tip. Once you follow the instructions in the kit and send the sample back to the company, you will then get an e-mail from the company directing you to their website where you can view, download, and print your test results. Or if you request it, you can have your results sent to you by U.S. mail. It is a kit that is well put together and has a great deal of potential to help consumers!!! Yay ImmuneTech! I'd love to hear your comments and results if you used this product!! Have a wonderful day!

Love,
Lisa 

Post Script dated September 28, 2011:

I understand from the company that they have updated their packaging, so I asked for a new image. Here is the new image of the MyAllergyTest® product:

Allergy Advice: Sanding, Staining and Sealing Wood Safely

Last week I blogged about painting safely for those individuals with environmental allergies however minor or major. In this post I will give you the high points for sanding, staining and sealing wood as distinct and separate from painting - different products and different beast entirely! I prepared, sanded, stained and sealed 7 windows in our home, sanded and sealed a dining room table and 4 leaves, and sanded and sealed our old dining room floor and new kitchen floor using AMF Safecoat stains and sealer.

On the Sanding: WEAR a mask and YES I am shouting!! Make sure you are doing any sanding in a well ventilated area that will not contaminate your home with any sanding dust. A mask is an absolute must even if you are healthy and well like I am. They sell a wide variety of respirator masks at any hardware store - just make sure it fits and it works. If you purchase a disposable mask - you should know that you may need more than one. The "disposable" type masks have a limited shelf life and will not last through some projects.

Use the Right tool for the Job: I hand sanded the windows because of the size and scope of the job. I used a hand-held orbital sander for the dining room table and 5 leaves (yes, I still have one leaf left to seal), and I rented a floor sander and edger for the dining room and kitchen floors. The right tool for the job includes using the right grit sand paper. Make sure you sand down to the bare wood if you are going to apply a different type of sealer than was previously used.

This is the BEFORE picture - a leaf that is untouched, the middle leaf is in progress and the leaf to the back or left is completely sanded. Below is the kitchen and dining room floor photo. Can you tell where the new floor ends and the old floor begins?

 

Staining and Sealing: I'm going to assume for this post that you know something about sanding and skip to the staining and sealing with the AMF Safecoat stains and sealers because that is the meat and potatoes of this post. First of all, if you are ordering a AMF Safecoat stain, which I believe to be one of - if not the - safest products for those with allergies or health issues, you should be forewarned that I did not find that the colors of the stains listed on their website were true to the colors that arrived. What that means is you should be sure to test your stains on some scrap wood. We ordered two different stain colors and I felt that they were more than a little off in color from the website representation. That is not a show stopper, just something to be aware of. Below is the AMF Safecoat Stains and Sealer picture:

The AMF Safecoat stains went on much like any other stain (once you get the color you want), except that they are non-toxic and wash up with soap and water (not mineral spirits)! Same goes for the floor and furniture sealer. One difference with the sealer is that the manufacturer recommends that the surface be wiped down with a damp cloth prior to the sealer application. I wiped down the windows, table, leaves and floors with a damp paper towel between coats - after the sanding - and that seemed to work fine. Having worked with standard polyurethane, a water based polyurethane and the AMF Safecoat sealer (PolyureSeal BP) over the years, I have to say that working with the Safecoat product was a dream. Now, having said that, I don't know how the AMF Safecoat PolyureSeal BP will hold up over time and with traffic. However, it could do no worse than the standard water-based (chemical laden) polyurethane that I used years ago on the table I just refinished. The water-based polyurethane got gummy and tacky after years of use. At least with this application I was not subject to toxic chemical exposure.

One of the best benefits for my family of using these non-toxic products is that once the sealer dries, it does not off-gas chemicals and toxic fumes like polyurethane does! I could write so much on this topic, but I won't go on and on! If you are looking to refinish furniture, floors or other wood in your home and you have a question, please post it here on my blog and I will respond!!! Happy and Safe repairs to you and yours!

Love,
Lisa

 

 

Getting Your Message Out and Internet Marketing Workshop in San Francisco May 24th

Technology is changing how we do business. How does social media and the internet impact where and how you reach your customers, your users, or your community? Where are you stuck in getting the word out on what you are engaged in? What is the message you want to convey to others? On Monday, May 24th the Global Abundance Alliance is sponsoring a Workshop on Public Relations and Internet Marketing from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Terrace Cafe at Best Western El Rancho Inn in Millbrae, California. For individuals in the Bay area who could use support in public relations, getting their message out or who are just getting their feet wet in technology and social media - this workshop is ideal and priced right at $35.00 for students, $50.00 for GAA members, and $60.00 for non-members who register by May 16th. That cost includes a lunch during the workshop. Workshop fees go up after May 16th.

Below is the Workshop Agenda, Objectives as well as what participants can do to be prepared for the Workshop and getting the most value. More information is available on the wiki site: http://globalpromises.wikispaces.com/Workshop2010 or contact me for more information. I will be presenting the workshop for the GAA as a service and contribution to the public.

Overall mission of the workshop: To empower individuals in getting their message out to the communities they want to be connected to and reach.

Getting Your Message Out:  Public Relations 101 and Social/Internet Marketing

This workshop is designed to empower individuals with the logistics and specifics of how to get their message out to the communities and people they want to reach.

Agenda:

9:00 AM -  Welcome & Workshop Structure

9:45 AM -  Setting the Stage for getting your message out

11:15 AM – Technology Basics

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Lunch

1:00 – Technology Basics – continued

1:30 PM – P.R. Agency Secret Weapons & Resources                       

2:30 PM – Putting It All Together

3:00 P.M. Questions & Answers & Hands-On Feedback

4:00 PM – Workshop Concludes

Objectives of the Workshop:

1.    To explain and explore basic and advanced aspects of Public Relations and internet and social marketing in today’s environment.

2.    To identify elements that are critical to success in a P.R./Internet marketing environment.

3.    To identify areas of opportunity to grow and develop action plans with the P.R./Internet marketing area.

4.    To identify resources for support.

5.    To create a positive feeling of excitement and enthusiasm and a ‘can-do’ attitude among the participants.

6.    To address resistance to technology.

Participants will be able to:

1.    Expand their understanding of PR/Internet marketing in today’s environment.

2.    Expand their vocabulary relative to PR/Internet marketing.

3.    Identify areas where they are stalled, stuck or stopped in P.R./Internet marketing and get unstuck.

4.    Create an action plan of what is required to be successful in P.R./Internet marketing.

5.    Have a list of resources to support future actions.

6.    Get questions answered.

Requests: Participants bring the following:

1.    Tablet or notebook and pen.

2.    Bring with them answers to a set of questions so they get the most value out of the workshop. This is optional. Answering the questions will enhance and turbo charge the value received from the workshop.

3.    A business card, letterhead, marketing flyer or brochure and any other company materials that could be evaluated or used during the workshop.

4.    QUESTIONS to answer and bring to the workshop (if desired)

a.    What is the message you want to convey in your PR or marketing campaign?

b.    What is your mission?

c.     What values do you hold?

d.    How can you help people? What problems do people have that you can help them with?

e.     Who is your target market? What is the profile of the customer or consumer you are trying to reach in your PR/Internet marketing program?

f.      What are your goals? What are you trying to accomplish through PR/Internet marketing?

 This will be a dynamic and powerful workshop! Come and join us engage in a powerful conversation about how to reach those people who you want to reach!

Love,

Lisa

 

 

Gluten-Free Diet: Help! Where Do I Start?

I am frequently asked this question and earlier this week I promised a reader that I would blog about it in an effort to provide them with answers as they wade through the myriad of information on the gluten-free diet.  My first recommendation is to take a deep breath and breathe.  There are no easy answers if you are experiencing either health issues or behavioral/emotional issues or even depression, which may or may not be related to consuming gluten, dairy or other foods.  The intention of my cookbook, The Super Allergy Girl™ Allergy & Celiac Cookbook, was to help people with this very question.  I have included in my cookbook 100 pages of helpful information to people embarking on a gluten-free and dairy-free diet.  You will find many helpful downloadable and free documents on my website – information free for the taking.  For that reason, I will be as brief as possible here.  You can purchase the cookbook here on my website.

Where Do I Start?  This is a great question with no easy answers.  I will make some brief recommendations with the understanding that I have already written 100 pages of information in my cookbook to help people get started and be successful.  If you are considering the gluten-free and/or dairy-free diet for yourself or your child due to health symptoms, behavioral issues, emotional problems or cognitive functioning issues, good for you!
 

Step 1:  I recommend that you begin by seeing your primary care physician or pediatrician and ruling out celiac disease.  Celiac disease is currently one of the most under-diagnosed, if not the most under-diagnosed disease in the U.S.

About 97% of the people in the U.S. who have celiac disease don’t currently realize that they have it according to the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Program.  If celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disease with a genetic component, is the underlying cause or source of your health issues, it would be really, really good to know that, medically speaking.  Years down the road, you don’t want to be wondering if you or your child actually has celiac disease.  Because celiac has a genetic component, it would be valuable for you or your relatives to know if you or your child has celiac disease. 

The mistake I made, and it is the classic mistake that many others make, is to go on a gluten-free diet without ruling out celiac disease.  I have been informed by reputable individuals in a position to know, that if you are on a gluten-free diet for an extended period of time that you will invalidate celiac testing in the future.  My recommendation is to rule celiac disease out.  You can find good information on celiac disease testing on the Celiac Sprus Association, USA, Inc. website at www.csaceliacs.org, so I’m not going to go into celiac testing in this piece.

 Step 2:  After ruling out celiac disease, assuming you are agreeable to that recommendation, you can then select one of several options to try to assess what is contributing to your health issues, behavioral issues, cognitive functioning problems or emotional issues.  Here are some of the options you have:

Elimination Diet:  As the name implies, an elimination diet is one where you remove many or most common foods.  Once you have removed most foods, you then re-introduce foods to see if symptoms return or get worse.  This requires diligence and many people find it uncomfortable as the elimination diet offers few foods for consumption.  I have not found many parents willing to do an elimination diet, although if you are willing, this can be a helpful option.

Remove Gluten and/or Dairy from the diet:  In this option you remove either gluten or diary or both.  Gluten and diary are two of the foods that seem to impact many people, so I recommend if you are going to do this to remove both for a period of 6 weeks minimum with 3 months being a preferred period.  Gluten and diary remain in the human body longer than other foods, and if you don’t remove it for a long enough period, you won’t be getting a valid test.  If you are going to do this, by all means get a copy of my cookbook so you don’t have to suffer through it.  You can have outstanding gluten-free and dairy-free foods, so if you are going to try this option, give it a good go by getting resources so it is as easy as possible.  If the symptoms are improved or eliminated by being on a gluten-free and/or diary-free diet, you can then introduce gluten or dairy, one at a time, to see if they bring on the symptoms you are addressing.

Food Diary:  This is another investigative tool that is non-invasive.  It takes time, commitment and patience.  In this option, you write down what you eat, how much of each food and any symptoms, behaviors or emotional states in a journal.  Often by keeping a food diary, people can start to see patterns emerge and they can then make educated guesses as to what might be the source.  If you notice that you feel tired two hours after every meal, that might be helpful.  If you change what you eat and notice that you are energized, that would also be of value. 

Food colorings, additives & preservatives:  In some instances, individuals or parents will see improvements in emotional, cognitive, physical or behavioral functioning by simply removing food colorings, additives, and preservatives.  The rule of thumb here is if you can’t pronounce it, if you don’t know what it is or does, or it says coloring – it falls into this category.  The Feingold Association, www.feingold.org has a program to help parents and professionals in this area.  You can purchase their outstanding program or become a Feingold Association member through their website.  They are a very reputable organization, and I highly recommend their program, organization and website!

I’m Still Confused:  Where Do I start?  There simply is no easy answer to this question.  The important thing is just to begin somewhere.  You can start with any one of the options I have outlined above.  It depends on your personality, your situation, and your time and resources and what you are willing or unwilling to do.  When parents read the package inserts of some of the ADD or ADHD medications and see some of the serious and/or life-threatening side effects, many of them become willing to spend some time and energy investigating natural, non-invasive dietary changes.   It is unfortunate that there are no easy answers and no one-size-fits-all solutions when it comes to dietary intervention.  Two of my three children require the gluten-free, dairy-free and allergen-free diet for their cognitive processing, emotional well-being, and health.  Two of them are also highly reactive to food colorings and preservatives.  They don’t all react the same to the offending foods.  I wish I could make it easier.  What I have done with my cookbook is to put all the important information about special diets, ingredients, and the basics of what you really need to know in the first 100 pages.  There are over 225 outstanding recipes.  Just because you are on a limited or restricted diet doesn’t mean that you have to tolerate bad foods!  We have great tasting foods free of all gluten, dairy, eggs, tree-nuts, peanuts, and other allergens (Over 75% of the recipes are also free of soy and corn).

Will it affect people in our household who don’t have these issues?  If you are changing your diet because of celiac disease or to improve health issues, you will have control over how it affects the people in your household.  This is an area where not everyone does the same thing.  Some families cook two separate meals, one free of gluten and dairy and one meal that contains gluten.  I am unwilling to cook two different meals, and my children all have different food requirements.  My daughter has life-threatening food allergies to all diary, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts.  My one son will get a nice rash from eggs, but eggs won’t kill him.  I cook to the lowest common denominator, which means that the meals for my children are free of all gluten, diary, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts and coconut (the coconut is for me!).  You may be willing to make two meals as many families do that.  It will be a change for sure.  However what I can say with all honesty is that people do dietary changes because they see the results and it is safe. 

This is a very long blog, but it will make at least one reader very happy!!  Or maybe it won’t make her happy, but I at least kept my promise to answer her questions by today!!  Yikes, better get this published as it is 11:24 PM!!  I’d love to hear your comments and thoughts on this.  What results have you seen by changing your child’s diet?  What thoughts do you have to share with someone considering a change in diet to alleviate health symptoms, behaviors, emotional issues or cognitive processing?

Love,
Lisa

Want Power? Make A Completion List...Here's how

I just did my completion list for 2009, something that I typically do in the first week of a New Year, and I am excited!  Now, I can't remember what year I started doing what I call a "Completion List", but I can tell you it was at least in 1998 because that was the year I did one that had a ton of house projects.  What I do is write down anything and everything that I can think of that is incomplete in my life.  My "Completion List" includes phone calls to make (usually ones that are hanging out there un-done for some reason), house repair projects, other projects that did not get done like organizing things, letters - you get the drift.  If you want power, this is one of the best activities to do as long as you set about to actually complete them.  There is no sense in making a list if you have no intention of checking them off!

My friend, Lanette, started doing this with me a few years ago!!  During the year we will check in with each other to see if things are coming off the list.  Just knowing that I was getting ready to do my list, I got in action and took care of two items so that they didn't even make it on the list!  It is fun to check the items off.  So, you are probably wondering, WHAT is on my list for this year?  Well here is a sample of what is on my list:
1.  Have Diane over for coffee
2.  Visit Sharleen in Maine
3.  Throw a party for the people who have helped us get to where we are
4.  Office all cleaned up and organized
5.  Access to a saltwater pool for the kids this summer so they can learn to swim w/out chlorine
6.  Pictures organized
7.  Find a church that will offer a scent-free mass and 'no germs' zone for us to be able to participate with (Roman Catholic)
8.  Fulfill on my promise to Edith Anderson for Epsilon Alpha Chapter history (and organize her docs)
9.  Be selected for an ABC Extreme Home Makeover OR somehow resolve our housing issues
10.  Clean out the attic

Well, you get the idea.  My 2009 Completion list has a total of 26 items on it, most of them not related to the cookbook because then the list would be 100 items long.  I have one item for business and the rest is in a category I'd call other.  One of the items, having matching dresses for my daughter and I, is a luxury that I have not been willing to spend the money on given our medical bill situation.  But, what I realized the other week was that I could sew the dresses myself for a fraction of what I could buy them ready-made, and if I didn't hurry up and do it soon - she'd be at that age where she was too old to wear a dress that matched "Mommy's".  Yes, they do grow up fast!!  So, now I'm using the matching dresses concept as a reward for completing 7 or 8 big work projects.  Projects that will take hours and hours and did I say hours to complete!!  Projects that I have either been avoiding or for some reason have not managed to finish.  That is providing incentive for me.  I can't wait to get those projects done now.

And that is the inner workings of a self-motivated person.  I set up my own rewards for completing X or Y amount of work or certain projects.  It lights a fire under me - assuming I have the right motivating rewards.  At any rate, I have digressed.  Writing up your own Completion List could provide you with lots of power if you will work to complete items on the list.  And now you can create your own "reward" program for doing such.  I hope that I have not bored you to death with my little motivational tricks!  Thinking about doing a completion list?  If you do, let me know!!  What gives you power?  How do you motivate yourself?  Let me know.

Have a wonderful and productive week.  I'm off to LA on Wednesday.
Love,
Lisa

My Apologies- I was duped on my last blog entry!! Ouch!

I offer my sincere apologies for not checking on the www.snopes.com website before posting my last blog on the cell phone do not call list  (which has now been deleted).  I know better and should have double checked.  I had heard people talking about this issue, so when the e-mail came from a reliable source, it all made sense to me.  Here is the link to the snopes page:  http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/cell411.asp

In order not to further this "urban legend", I have deleted the previous post so that other people do not come upon it and think it is true without reading the retraction.  It is a lesson in double checking, even that I believe to be a reliable source!  And we wonder why people have trouble sorting out what is the truth in health care?  It is no wonder.  My apologies on my mistake!  I'll take 50 lashes with a wet noodle!!  Any comments?  I'd love to hear how you have been duped!  Have a wonderful weekend.
Love,
Lisa

Consider Giving Toastmasters a Try in 2009

I was the Toastmaster for our most recent club meeting.  We were all delighted that our club had three visitors come to check out our club and what Toastmasters International is all about.  I don’t know if you realize this or not, but the general public fears public speaking more than death!!  Toastmasters International has been around for decades (since the 1920’s) helping people overcome their fear of public speaking.  But that is not all that Toastmasters does.  Toastmasters also helps people learn how to run effective meetings, and grow and develop leadership skills.

Participation in Toastmasters can also help people with their listening skills, interpersonal skills, learn how to give feedback and the list goes on and on.  Clubs have different personalities and styles.  Our club is friendly and fun.  We genuinely enjoy each other and it shows.  We have diversity in every category: age, religion, profession, beliefs, and stage of life.  What we have in common is a sincere desire to improve ourselves and to help others improve in their speaking, listening, and leadership.

I have been in Toastmasters International for over 5 years now.  I have earned what is called the Advanced Toastmasters-Silver level with the Competent Leader award as well.  Now, I am working on my Advanced Toastmaster-Gold award level.  All that means is that I have completed over 30 speech projects and the first leadership track, which is a bit more involved than I have time or space for now.  It is a rewarding organization with fabulous people who all want to help others.  Or at least the people in our club do.

If you have never tried it, or if it has been years or decades since you visited Toastmasters, perhaps it is something worth considering.  Are you a Toastmaster?  How has it helped you grow and develop?  If you have never been to a Toastmasters International meeting, are you interested?  I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject!!  If you live in the Western New York area, and would like to visit my Toastmasters Club, please do.  You can come as my guest although you can attend any club meeting all on your own!!   Many blessings, and let me know your comments.

Love,
Lisa

 

Gluten-free/Casein-free & Egg-free White Cake Conundrum

This blog is due in full to Gloria Tilley's phone call to me yesterday asking for help with a gluten-free, casein-free and egg free white cake!!  Gloria is an expert gluten-free and casein-free baker whose children also can't tolerate eggs.  I explained to Gloria yesterday that I had too many failures in attempting to create a GFCF (that's short for Gluten-free & Casein-free) cake that was also egg-free to even think about trying it again.  I had tried many times to perfect a GFCF and egg-free white cake, but the results were always a huge disappointment.  How many failures do you withstand before you just give up?  For those of you who don't know Gloria Tilley, she is quite enrolling.  And yes, she did eventually enroll me into trying it AGAIN!!  I know, am I a glutton for punishment?  No, Gloria needs a white cake recipe for a family wedding this year, and I promised to work on it for her.

To her absolute credit (and Gloria gets a ton of credit- she actually deserves her own blog entry), Gloria took the Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin recipe in my cookbook and deleted the lemon flavoring ingredients as well as the poppy seeds to come up with a white cake (adding vanilla extract), but it was a bit more of a pound cake.  So Gloria suggested that in addition to trying it myself, that I ask you, my readers, if you have a gluten-free, dairy-free (casein-free) and egg-free white cake recipe.  It also needs to be free of peanuts and tree-nuts and coconut.  O.K. now I actually can't remember if Gloria's children are free of peanuts, tree-nuts and coconut, but we are and for me to test a recipe that is a must.

I'm traveling to Penn State to meet with my interns next week and then it is off to Los Angeles, so I won't be experimenting in the kitchen until early February at the earliest.  If you have a cake recipe that meets these criteria, it would be greatly appreciated.  I'll let you know how the great white cake conundrum unfolds.  Until then, happy baking and enjoy the week!

Love,
Lisa

Heartfelt Sympathy and Prayers for the Travolta Family

The death of John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s 16-year old son, Jett, has hit me hard for at least two reasons.  I ask for your most loving and compassionate prayers for the Travolta family as they grieve the loss of their beloved son.  As someone who has had my fair share of loss, there can be no easy way to deal with this sudden and tragic death.  If you believe in prayer of any form, I ask that you pray that God gives them the Grace and strength to get through the difficult days and months ahead.

As those of you who read my blog regularly know, I do not typically blog about things like this.  When I heard the news of Jett’s death last night, I had to go and look it up in the newspaper immediately.  I’ve had just a bit over 24 hours to ponder why this hit me so hard when I don’t even know John Travolta or his wife, Kelly Preston.  And I’m not one of the people star-struck over celebrities or VIP’s.  The first reason that came to mind what the sheer number of people that had instructed me countless times in the last four years to contact John Travolta.  He was one of the people that more than a handful of people advised me to contact for help- second only to Hilary Clinton- for help with my daughter’s health crisis.  I never bothered to take that advice rationalizing that he was a busy man with this or that movie, and he had other things to concern himself with.

The thinking of the people who recommended John Travolta as a contact was that he had played a role as the boy in the plastic bubble many years ago, which was a fact that I was not aware of.  So, that was the first reason it hit me so hard.  I think the second reason that it hit me so hard was that it was a harsh reminder that no matter what you do; you can lose a child in a heartbeat.  There are no guarantees for safety, well being and health.  No matter what you do, things can happen.  It was only 4-1/2 years ago that I almost lost my daughter in a hospital visit.  Had I not stopped the nurse from giving my daughter an injection (which contained the wrong dose of medication), my daughter would not be here. 

Tragic and sudden loss results in a different kind of grief and grief processing because you don’t have the weeks or months or preparing yourself for an impending loss.  And it is simply un-natural for a parent to lose a child.  That is another reason that this probably has hit me so hard that it takes my breath away.  I have lost a daughter, who would be 14 years old now.  Christina was her name.  I lost her when I was six months pregnant.  Surprisingly, she had her fingernails and eyelashes, which I will never forget.  We were in the midst of planning a geographic move, and I couldn’t bear the thought of buried in a plot that I wouldn’t be able to visit after we moved.  So I have her ashes in my nightstand in a plastic box that the funeral home provided.  Yes, one day she will be buried, but then was not the time. 

I have found that we really don’t talk about the death of children in our society, or so it seems to me.  It is uncomfortable and easier to avoid.  We attended a support group and had an excellent grief nurse at the hospital, who was especially trained in early loss.  One of the things that I remember from the support group was how most of the sympathies and comments offered were directed at the mothers.  Fathers feel the loss just as completely and deeply, yet we often ignore the Dad’s when a child dies. 

I know I will be praying for this family as they mourn the loss of their dear son.  I will be praying that each day it gets a little easier and that they have all the love and support that they need in their time of sadness.  I hope that you will offer up some special prayers for them too.  God Bless.

Love,
Lisa

My Penn State Interns

This Fall I submitted an internship program that I created to the College of Communications at Penn State University for students majoring in Public Relations.  My program for interns was immediately accepted and posted for the PR students.  Within 24 hours I had my first intern.  I completed the fall semester with 3 wonderful students, who were hard working, eager to learn, and just as precious as they come.  This is the primary reason that I disappeared on the blogging front for some of the fall.  I was thinking that I would start the internship with PSU in the spring, so it all came together fast.  I made several trips to Penn State to meet with the interns to provide individual mentoring and guidance.

It was a fantastic learning experience for the students and for me in learning what they know and what support I needed to provide.  I am sharing this with you now because I will again have Penn State Interns in the spring, and I am sure that some of them will choose to be “guest bloggers” so that they can get a feel for the experience of blogging, which is part of public relations in this day in age.

My intention in creating the internship program for Penn State was to give the students in PR a real hands-on learning experience that they would find to be very valuable.  My second intention was that it not be stressful for them (I can remember how stressful college was).  And my third intention was that they enjoy themselves.  It was a wonderful experience for me.  Many of you know I’m a graduate of Penn State University, so I got to go back to Penn State!  Woo-hoo!  My Mom and Dad and two of my siblings also live in State College where Penn State is located (also called “Happy Valley”) so that was the icing on the cake.

I’m giving the students plenty of choices on what they can work on so that they can powerfully select areas that they want to learn about and work in as opposed to what I would direct them to.  In addition to guest blogging, I’m working on getting pod casts recorded to help people who are new to the gluten-free and dairy-free world.  It is exciting and fun and just what I want in my life.  If you have public relations connections with any type of media and you would be willing to share that with the interns that would be a gift to these young people.  They are sharp, savvy and young.  They deserve guidance and support.  If you can provide any contacts in the media, by all means do so.  I know they will be really excited.  More on this once the spring semester starts in Mid-January.  Can you believe that tomorrow is only Sunday? With the extra holiday, it feels like today is Sunday.  Have a powerful day!
Love,
Lisa