This is Nancy's Tale

"From the time he was 9 months old, I knew that my son, Sinclair, had a peanut allergy because he was taken to the emergency room at that early age with severe reactions.  Then, in the summer of 2006, my son almost died on a trip to our home in California from Louisiana. While confined to the close quarters of an airplane cabin, Sinclair came in contact with a peanut product, possibly in the form of peanut dust in the air or a residue left on a seat – I don’t know.

An ambulance took him from the airport to emergency at Baylor Medical Center where he was given shots and breathing treatments until the hives were gone and his breathing was normalized and then he was given the OK to fly, reaching California that night.

The next morning, he had hives again. I called 911 and grabbed the epi pen, and the ambulance took him to the ER, which prescribed oral steroid and Benadryl. That night, 24 hours from his first reaction and 8 hours from his second, Sinclair said, "momma, I have hives". By the time we arrived at the ER, Sinclair was unrecognizable and was lying on a cart being given a shot in his stomach. We learned in a way that is indelible that anaphylactic shock is entirely unpredictable as far as whether you live or die.

 I have followed advice about traveling on airlines, except airline personnel can be insensitive, dismissive and downright discriminatory when I ask to do things to protect my child.One airline treated me so shabbily, that I complained to the Department of Transportation (DOT), which shockingly said that all the airline had to do was transport us. I believe we were victims of discrimination. Discrimination in the context of having a child with a recognized disability who was not provided a reasonable accommodation related to that disability. I was very disappointed that the DOT was unwilling to acknowledge that reality or take any action against the airlines that might have been helpful.

I have since learned that Congress has threatened the DOT with defunding if it forces airlines to provide reasonable accommodation to airline passengers with severe peanut allergies."

Please sign this petition so that Sinclair and other like him will not have to spend a lifetime always only one indifference away from having his life jeopardized.

For Nancy's full story, see the Blog for Nancy's Tale - The Full Story of Sinclair's Peanut Allergy Challenges and Airline Discrimination.

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