While I've cleaning out my desktop computer and working on your soon-to-be newest Creative.Dunning video I found an old essay application for the Sabrina Shannon Memorial Award that I wrote way back in 2013.
"Growing up as a child with a food based allergy of any kind can be more than tough. It’s scary, confusing and stressful. You don’t feel like just another ‘average normal’ person in the world along with everyone else who can randomly call up dinner dates or take free samples in the mall.
My mother raised me to understand food allergies and the decisions and consequences that come with them. There weren’t a lot of children born with food allergies at that time and it confused a lot of people. I was fatally allergic to not only nuts/tree nuts but milk and eggs. We created pamphlets and handouts, updating semi-annually with information on anaphylaxis and asthma to give to friends, family and schools around our town. Not only did our efforts educate our immediate family, neighbours and friends but it carried on throughout the rest of my schooling.
My mother and I were the first to make nut allergy awareness a concern within the public and high schools of our town. Informational packages and warning letters were produced using our knowledge, then sent out to parents about the dangers of food based allergies and that any food products with or may containing nuts would not be permitted within the school. A ‘principal initiative’ was created to keep EpiPens in all faculty offices and ‘training’ was given to all staff members. Even after my graduation into high school the initiative is still going strong in my name and has started expanding onto dairy and shellfish allergy awareness as well. I brought that initiative into my high school and the principal was inspired to learn more. We had monthly meetings throughout my high school career to stay updated with facts and lists about the growing research of food based allergies.
I enrolled into an advertising course in college and learned how to ‘brand’ yourself within the business world. I used this opportunity to again help others within the community understand about how allergies and anaphylaxis works. My personal logo is a ‘no nuts’ sign, within it are words that describe who I am and my skills. That way no one can think of me without remember my fight for allergy awareness because it encompasses who I am. Not only do people see it on my business cards but throughout my online presence on Blogger, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
I use these social media platforms to spread informational about my own personal struggles, Anaphylaxis Canada, Allergic Living and EpiPen.ca. This information reaches not only the teachers and students but to all the faculty of my college (which averages around 28,000 students and 2,000 staff members.) This doesn’t include the word-of-mouth spread throughout the community and into the other university and college in the city and surrounding area. Or the amount of resumes and business cards I’ve handed out during events or interviews.
Not only is my college campus community beginning to better inform themselves by supporting my blog and Allergic Living but the business owners/workers within our community that I have met through networking and teachers are starting to view my blog as well. In the two years I started my site http://www.creative-dunning.blogspot.ca/ I’ve earned over 1,900 recorded page views with my blog.
I have also been graced with the friendship of multiple international students during my first two years of college. Many of these students still live in countries that know little about allergies or the vast array of different food based allergies that people deal with today. I have taught several Chinese, Japanese and Korean students about nut allergies & symptoms, the difference between peanuts and tree nuts, Medic Alert jewelry and the EpiPen. We’ve had discussions about the different kind of allergies that ‘Westerners’ have in comparison to other countries such as celiac, gluten, sulphites and other food based allergies like spices, shellfish and eggs.
I do not solely deserve this award because there are countless people in the world that deserve to recognized along with my mother and myself, for helping to aid people struggling with various forms of allergies. But I do try my hardest to spread awareness and prevention as much as possible through my educational, business and personal life and have no plans to ever stop in the future. It is my dream to one day own a 100% all allergen free bakery facility that can cater to people suffering from dairy, egg, nut, citrus, fruit and spice allergies because no one deserve to live a sheltered life. I hope that my past and future contributions would make Sabrina and her family proud."
This award is dedicated to Sabrina Shannon, an inspiring teenager who suffered a fatal anaphylactic reaction in 2003. During her life, Sabrina helped to raise awareness about food allergy by creating a first-person radio documentary, “A Nutty Tale,” which aired on CBC radio in 2001. Since her passing, Sabrina’s parents and other members of the allergy community have kept Sabrina’s spirit alive by advocating for allergy-aware school environments. In 2005, Sabrina’s Law was passed in Ontario, resulting in landmark legislation that has influenced school anaphylaxis policies across Canada.Although I did not win the award I wanted to share my submission with you - I promise my writing (and my passion for aiding in Anaphylaxis & Asthma awareness) have greatly improved since then..
"Growing up as a child with a food based allergy of any kind can be more than tough. It’s scary, confusing and stressful. You don’t feel like just another ‘average normal’ person in the world along with everyone else who can randomly call up dinner dates or take free samples in the mall.
My mother raised me to understand food allergies and the decisions and consequences that come with them. There weren’t a lot of children born with food allergies at that time and it confused a lot of people. I was fatally allergic to not only nuts/tree nuts but milk and eggs. We created pamphlets and handouts, updating semi-annually with information on anaphylaxis and asthma to give to friends, family and schools around our town. Not only did our efforts educate our immediate family, neighbours and friends but it carried on throughout the rest of my schooling.
My mother and I were the first to make nut allergy awareness a concern within the public and high schools of our town. Informational packages and warning letters were produced using our knowledge, then sent out to parents about the dangers of food based allergies and that any food products with or may containing nuts would not be permitted within the school. A ‘principal initiative’ was created to keep EpiPens in all faculty offices and ‘training’ was given to all staff members. Even after my graduation into high school the initiative is still going strong in my name and has started expanding onto dairy and shellfish allergy awareness as well. I brought that initiative into my high school and the principal was inspired to learn more. We had monthly meetings throughout my high school career to stay updated with facts and lists about the growing research of food based allergies.
I enrolled into an advertising course in college and learned how to ‘brand’ yourself within the business world. I used this opportunity to again help others within the community understand about how allergies and anaphylaxis works. My personal logo is a ‘no nuts’ sign, within it are words that describe who I am and my skills. That way no one can think of me without remember my fight for allergy awareness because it encompasses who I am. Not only do people see it on my business cards but throughout my online presence on Blogger, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
I use these social media platforms to spread informational about my own personal struggles, Anaphylaxis Canada, Allergic Living and EpiPen.ca. This information reaches not only the teachers and students but to all the faculty of my college (which averages around 28,000 students and 2,000 staff members.) This doesn’t include the word-of-mouth spread throughout the community and into the other university and college in the city and surrounding area. Or the amount of resumes and business cards I’ve handed out during events or interviews.
Not only is my college campus community beginning to better inform themselves by supporting my blog and Allergic Living but the business owners/workers within our community that I have met through networking and teachers are starting to view my blog as well. In the two years I started my site http://www.creative-dunning.blogspot.ca/ I’ve earned over 1,900 recorded page views with my blog.
I have also been graced with the friendship of multiple international students during my first two years of college. Many of these students still live in countries that know little about allergies or the vast array of different food based allergies that people deal with today. I have taught several Chinese, Japanese and Korean students about nut allergies & symptoms, the difference between peanuts and tree nuts, Medic Alert jewelry and the EpiPen. We’ve had discussions about the different kind of allergies that ‘Westerners’ have in comparison to other countries such as celiac, gluten, sulphites and other food based allergies like spices, shellfish and eggs.
I do not solely deserve this award because there are countless people in the world that deserve to recognized along with my mother and myself, for helping to aid people struggling with various forms of allergies. But I do try my hardest to spread awareness and prevention as much as possible through my educational, business and personal life and have no plans to ever stop in the future. It is my dream to one day own a 100% all allergen free bakery facility that can cater to people suffering from dairy, egg, nut, citrus, fruit and spice allergies because no one deserve to live a sheltered life. I hope that my past and future contributions would make Sabrina and her family proud."
