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Hundreds of San Diego-Area Residents Take Strides for Food Allergy Research

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 14 /PRNewswire/ — Hundreds of community and business leaders, members of civic organizations, and citizens will come together Sunday, October 7th at De Anza Cove in Mission Bay Park in San Diego for a massive fundraising walk to increase awareness about food allergy and to raise money for research and education.

The event, which is also being held in 18 other cities across the country as well as online, is sponsored by the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) and is called Walk for Food Allergy: Moving Toward A Cure. Last year, it raised more than $1 million nationwide.

More than 12 million Americans have food allergies, which is the leading cause of anaphylaxis (a severe and potentially fatal allergic reaction) outside the hospital setting and results in more than 30,000 emergency room visits each year. Eight foods account for 90 percent of all allergic reactions in the U.S.: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans, etc.), wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish. Food allergy afflicts one in 25 Americans overall, and one in 17 under age 3.

“Over the last 10 years, we have seen a doubling of the incidence of food allergies, and scientists don’t know why,” says FAAN CEO and founder Anne Muñoz-Furlong. “It’s critical that we all work together to help them find the answer, as well as a cure.”

More than 500 San Diego-area residents are expected to walk with company teams, organizational groups, families, and individually. Also attending will be NBC 7/39 News Anchor and Reporter Monica Dean, the San Diego honorary chair. Joining her in spirit will be the National Honorary Chair, country music star Trace Adkins.

Registration for the San Diego Walk for Food Allergy begins at 8:00 a.m. There is no fee to participate. Participants will walk a 2-mile route, after which festivities will be held, including The Rad Hatter hat designing and rock wall climbing. The event is sponsored by Verus Pharmaceuticals and Dey Pharmaceuticals.

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“With each step that’s taken, we’ll move closer to our goal of teaching others about the serious nature of food allergies, and to finding a cure,” said Sonya Sheik, walk chair.

On Wednesday August 15, 2007, Whole Foods will donate 5% of the total proceeds for the day to the FAAN Walk for Food Allergy in the San Diego area. You can help donate money simply by shopping at the La Jolla Whole Foods Market location at 8825 Villa La Jolla Drive, on Wednesday between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.

Sheik also announced that 12-year-old Jeremy Dinkin of Del Mar has been chosen as the San Diego FAAN walk ambassador based on his essay detailing his experiences with food allergies. In 2006, Jeremy was elected President of the sixth grade class at Del Mar Hills Academy of Arts and Sciences and will be attending Earl Warren Junior High school this fall. As the San Diego FAAN walk ambassador, Jeremy who is severely allergic to over six major foods and latex, will share his experiences. When asked why he would like to be the San Diego FAAN walk ambassador, Jeremy said, “I can show people how to deal with food allergies correctly and help them understand the importance of being careful and avoiding dangerous foods.”

In addition, 17-year-old Kathleen Toohill, also of Del Mar has agreed to be the Teen Ambassador for the San Diego FAAN walk. Kathleen will be a senior at Cathedral Catholic High School, where she plays varsity lacrosse, is an Executive Ambassador, tutors for National Honor Society, and works on the staff of El Sol, the literary magazine. Kathleen was involved in the 2006 SD FAAN as a volunteer and is also a member of FAAN’s 2007 Teen Advisory Group. She is allergic to peanuts, nuts, soy, melon, peas, and sulfa and cephalosporins.

ABOUT FAAN

Founded in 1991, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is the world leader in information about food allergy, a potentially fatal condition that afflicts approximately 12 million Americans, or one out of every 25, and is rapidly increasing in prevalence. A nonprofit organization based in Fairfax, Va., FAAN has 30,000 members in the U.S., Canada, and 62 other countries. It is dedicated to increasing public awareness of food allergy and its consequences, to educating people about the condition, to advocating on behalf of all those affected by it, and to advancing research into its causes, prevalence, cure, and prevention. FAAN provides information and educational resources about food allergy to patients, their families, schools, health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, the food industry, and government officials. The FAAN Medical Advisory Board, which reviews all of the organization’s educational materials, is comprised of 14 of the leaders in food allergy science and medicine in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to its printed materials, FAAN also sponsors such awareness programs as Food Allergy Awareness Week, the Mariel C. Furlong Awards for Making a Difference, food allergy conferences, and fundraising walks.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 15th, 2007 at 8:23 pm and is filed under Flonase Top News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.