The FPIES Foundation Honors FAAW: Awareness Is Action!

Awareness is Action, and YOU help pave the path!

At The FPIES Foundation, we recognize and stress the importance of awareness for this rare disorder. Because FPIES is rare, families can experience difficulty finding medical providers that are familiar with this diagnosis, and can receive poor advice from well-meaning friends and family due to lack of knowledge. Awareness can help to bridge this gap. How?

When someone is AWARE of FPIES…

• They will ENCOURAGE medical providers to “think outside the box” for a diagnosis, and ENCOURAGE parents to keep trying to find the answers when they are certain their current diagnosis is incorrect.

• They will exhibit COMPASSION for families who struggle with food allergies – whether immediate or delayed onset.

• They will want to EDUCATE everyone they encounter about the realities of FPIES and food allergies to clear up confusion and spread AWARENESS.

• They will be turned toward INNOVATION in creating new treatments, new tests, new recipes, new school safety protocols, new coping skills, and new diagnostic protocols for this rare and baffling disease.

• They will feel EMPATHY for medical practitioners who are struggling to adjust their knowledge base and general diagnostic approach to including a disease so difficult to pinpoint or solidly identify, and EMPATHY for parents who have struggled to find help for their child.

• They will have EMPOWERMENT to confidently move forward in the face of uncertainty, with both the medical establishment and the world at large.

• They will have their INTEGRITY reinforced! No longer will they be the lone voice stating there is something wrong with their child. Knowing about FPIES means their instincts will have been proven correct, and they will feel whole and complete again.

• They will grow in their RESPECT: for the caregivers, for the doctors, and especially for the children.

• They will have INSPIRATION to seek help, push for answers, support others, and share knowledge.

All of this combines to create a person, newly aware of FPIES, who will now walk confidently down the path of ADVOCACY for these precious children who courageously walk the path of FPIES with good humor and joy.

When one is AWARE, one cannot help but to take ACTION.

That is why the FPIES Foundation was created. Awareness is the cornerstone to building a foundation of active support for FPIES children. Together with families and medical professionals we will continue to make changes today to keep building this lasting foundation for tomorrow

We offer resources for families and medical practitioners seeking answers about FPIES so we can help support YOU as you support your child. We hope you will avail yourself of these resources; to become AWARE so you can ACT!

• Read and share About FPIES
• Print and share FPIES Awareness Flyers
• Read and share Inspiring family stories, and consider submitting your own! 
• Read how you can Get Involved 
• Follow and share Food Allergy Awareness Week 2013 Activities 

The FPIES Foundation is participating in Food Allergy Awareness Week (FAAW), May 12-18, 2013 with awareness campaigns through our website, social media and other online tools. We hope you will join us in spreading AWARENESS about FPIES!

Post contributed by The FPIES Foundation volunteer Carrie Summers. Carrie also blogs about her life with FPIES, Fructose Malabsorption, Real Food, and motherhood at  www.CradleRockingMama.com