At a very young age, we discovered that  our son, Jerrick had an allergy to tree nuts when we thought he was choking on his cereal. Unfortunately, this event led to countless hospital, doctor and specialist visits. After outgrowing his pistachio and cashew allergy, we entered a new traumatic phase of his medical journey... a severe anaphylactic allergy to all dairy.

Jerrick's initial allergy to tree nuts was challenging, but as a family, we discovered that this new dairy allergy was far more challenging as we learned that so many foods contain dairy or may contain dairy. 

With the support of a dedicated team at McMaster University, many tests were done on Jerrick to determine the severity of his allergy. We discovered that this would likely be a lifelong allergy that we/ he would have to manage.

Over the years, Jerrick unfortunately, has needed to learn how to manage this allergy.  He has become proficient at managing on a day to day basis which is very difficult as a teenage boy. He has had one extremely frightening episode where he needed to use his EpiPen after playing golf in a nearby field and accidently hitting a bottle of milk which resulted in a severe allergy reaction.

Through hours of research, we have learned there is a drug in the US that has potential for life-saving measures for anaphylactic children, but this comes at a large expense and has not been approved in Canada. This leads me to the main reason for raising funds for this extremely important cause. 

My hope with this journey on the Bruce Trail goes beyond the experiences of our own family. It is to raise awareness for all individuals that suffer daily from anaphylactic allergies. My goal is to ensure that all industries such as pharmaceuticals, restaurants, and stores become more aware and understanding of the struggles that people face with severe allergies.

By running the Bruce trail, I aim to raise awareness to further anaphylactic treatments and more accessible, healthy foods in stores for people suffering with severe allergies. 

Please donate to this cause as every dollar counts!

My Bruce trail journey will commence on Monday September 1st, 2025.

Click HERE to support Allergy Canada

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