A mother of a toddler has enough to worry about: bumps and bruises, sneezes and sniffles, baby gates and cupboard locks.
For Cathy DeVinney, add to that the hidden dangers of her son's food allergy. Luke, 20 months, could be felled by something as innocuous as a glass of milk or a cheese- flavored snack cracker.
DeVinney and her husband, the Rev. Joel DeVinney, of Grace Baptist Church, Millersville, are also the parents of daughters Claire, 6, and Jenna, 3. They don't have food allergies. Luke's body, however, cannot tolerate the protein found in milk and milk products, such as cheese. It doesn't slow him down, but his family has to be vigilant.
"He's like any other kid, [but] a food could kill him," Mrs. DeVinney said. Even when she was nursing Luke, DeVinney "went completely dairy-free" after the family found out about his allergies.
"It was a huge sacrifice for Cathy," said her husband.
The incidence of food allergies in children under age 3 is one in 17, according to the Virginia-based Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. When Luke grows older, it is likely he will join the estimated 2.2 million school-age children in the nation who have food allergies, FANN notes. It is estimated that more than 12 million Americans, or four percent of the population, have food allergies.
Today, May 10, through Saturday, May 16, is Food Allergy Awareness Week, created in 1997 by FANN, a worldwide organization of families, dietitians, nurses, physicians, school staff, representatives from government agencies, and food and pharmaceutical industries.
A food allergy happens when the immune system mistakenly attacks a food protein, according to FANN on its Web site, http//:foodallergy.org.
Food allergies, FANN notes, are not to be confused with food intolerance, which does not involve the immune system and is not life-threatening.
While people might be allergic to any kind of food, there are eight that account for 90 percent of all allergic reactions, FANN notes. These are milk, egg, peanut, tree nut (such as walnuts or cashews), fish, soy and wheat. Allergic reactions might be as mild as a rash or itching or as severe as anaphylaxis, a reaction so serious and rapid it could lead to death. (See related article, this page.)
And food allergies are "definitely on the rise," said Dr. Laura Fisher of Allergy & Asthma Center, Lancaster, and Luke DeVinney's allergist. Scientists aren't sure why; FANN noted that food allergies in the U.S. have doubled in the last 10 years.
One theory, which Allergy & Asthma Center's Fisher called "the hygiene hypothesis," is that we're simply a "cleaner" society than we used to be.
"Our immune systems may be going down a different pathway during [childhood] development," Fisher said. Rather than fighting infections, immune systems "might now be reacting more to allergens."
Whatever the theory, a food allergy can be a scary thing for both parents and children.
"It's traumatizing to a child to be strapped to a gurney, going to the E.R.," said Deb Ebersole, of Landisville. She and her husband, Karl, are the parents of one child, Ben, 6. Ben has peanut and tree nut allergies; he once suffered an anaphylactic reaction after coming into contact with a candy football, which he didn't even eat.
For those not in the know, the term "food allergy" sounds like something less complicated than it really is. Moms such as DeVinney and Ebersole are quick to correct that misconception.
"In their minds, it's milk," Mrs. DeVinney said of when people are told that children like Luke can't have milk. "They don't think of cheese," or certain salad dressings or even red sauces, which might contain the milk protein Luke is allergic to, she noted.
And some food-making plants, Ebersole noted, might use the same manufacturing line for multiple products, creating the risk of cross-contamination.
Cyndi Hambleton, Willow Street, agrees. She is the mother of Maura, 2½, who has multiple food allergies.
"A lot of ice cream has peanuts in it," Hambleton said. Even if it doesn't, she echoed Ebersole's worry that "it might be run on the same line as ice cream with peanuts in it. You don't know which batch you are getting."
Maura has milk and egg, as well as peanut, allergies, said Hambleton. Her condition proved to be a frustrating mystery for Hambleton and her husband, Daniel, not long after Maura's birth.
Big sister Corinne, 10, who rounds out the Hambleton family, has been "really good about" dealing with Maura's condition, Mrs. Hambleton said.
When Maura was 3 months old, "she had severe eczema. She would scratch until she would bleed." Doctors, Hambleton said, first thought Maura was having a reaction to detergent; the family endured "a good six months without knowing" what was causing Maura's discomfort. "We treated her with creams and oral medicine to stop the itching."
Maura was tested at nine months, at which time her allergies were revealed. Today, she's a happy, affectionate girl, who is happy to show off the family dog and give her mom frequent hugs. But caution remains a watchword in their household.
"You have to train the baby sitter," said Hambleton, "to use the EpiPen," an an auto-injector that administers epinephrine, an emergency treatment for severe allergic reactions. It's a must-have item when it comes to kids and allergies — Ebersole gives an EpiPen "to the [school] nurse at the beginning of the year, along with Zyrtec," an over-the-counter allergy-relief product.
Grocery shopping requires vigilance, too.
"I usually buy pasta made it Italy, because there's no egg in it," said Cyndi Hambleton. For Cathy DeVinney, a trip to the store can be time-consuming. "She spends hours at the grocery store," said husband Joel, because Mrs. DeVinney has to spend a lot of time reading labels.
"I used to take our kids, but now I go by myself at night," she admitted.
The Internet, however, can be a big help; the Rev. DeVinney said vegan sites are useful because of their dairy-free recipes.
"I don't know how people survive without the Internet," he said. "We'd be eating nothing but broccoli!" There is one upside to the family watching what they eat for Luke's sake: "It's healthier!" the Rev. DeVinney said. "Plain chicken, plain vegetables ... you don't have to put butter on things."
Like any family, the DeVinneys like to enjoy an occasional meal out. But that has its own challenges, Mrs. DeVinney said.
Ordering the "right" foods is no guarantee of safety — "Did they slice the meat ... on the same slicer as the cheese, so there would be cross-contamination?" she queried, as an example of restaurant kitchen preparation. The family often patronizes restaurant chains that have established allergen-listing policies, such as McDonald's, "who tell you everything," Mrs. DeVinney said.
On its corporate Web site, McDonald's has a link to allergen-related concerns, including a list of what goes into each of their menu items.
Lynda Polto has to keep all of the previously mentioned concerns in mind, and more. Her son, Ryan, 11, is allergic to six out of the eight food-allergy categories.
"Every day at 11:45, when he eats lunch, you just say a prayer that he'll be safe," said Polto, who also shares her Lititz home with husband, Dan, and daughter, Madison, 7.
"It's not a visible disability," said Mrs. Polto. "That's the scariest part."
Ryan, a fifth-grader at Bonfield Elementary School, has wheat, milk, egg, tree nut, peanut and shellfish allergies. But there's a bright side, despite his condition.
"I can eat steak!" Ryan said. "I'm allergic to ice cream, but I can have baked potatoes and french fries. ..."
"... So long as they're not fried in peanut oil," his father said.
At his age, Ryan knows that school and parties surround him with foods he can't eat. "You have to be aware of everything around you," he said.
"Just don't eat it; just don't inhale it!" Ryan summed up, demonstrating the attitude his father calls "self-policing."
The toughest thing to keep in mind, Ryan said, is to "stay away from the kids who are crazy," even in the case of something as small as when somebody once threw a milk cap in his direction. That could have triggered an allergic attack.
Ryan has experienced reactions where, he said, "my throat will swell up. I break out in hives. It's hard to breathe. It's scary, painful, very itchy." Milk, egg and wheat can trigger full-blown anaphylactic attacks; Ryan had two as a baby and his last one in 2004.
But as with the DeVinney, Ebersole and Hambleton children, food allergies aren't stopping Ryan from being a kid. He's on the school football team; he knows to carry an EpiPen, an inhaler and Benadryl to school. He can even enjoy candy — with a few caveats. "I can eat regular Skittles, but not the tropical Skittles," Ryan said as an example. But "most of the time, I'm feeling on top of the world."
His mother, like Mrs. DeVinney, Mrs. Ebersole and Mrs. Hambleton, have found comfort in a support group for parents of kids with food allergies, which meets at 7 p.m. the third Tuesday of every month at Hershey Medical Center.
The parents swap recipes and discuss such topics as how to handle school issues, holidays and vacations.
"They're a great group," Mrs. Polto said.
And it's one centered on an important theme, the families agree.
"Your child becomes very precious," Deb Ebersole said, "when you go through something like this."
Stephen Kopfinger is a Sunday News staff writer. Contact him at skopfinger@lnpnews.com or at 291-8799. 
