A Growing Food Allergy Community – Guest Post

Over the next several weeks, we are going to introduce you to other members in the allergy, asthma and eczema community. As the first in our guest series, Lisa Rutter is the founder of the No Nuts Moms Group. From her experiences in dealing with a food allergic son, she started the group as a way for parents with food allergies to connect and support each other. – K.G.

_My name is Lisa Rutter, and I am the founder of a group called No Nuts Moms Group. This is a group dedicated to raising food allergy awareness. We offer many resources on our site including a Support Group and Forum on Facebook for all food allergic families from all over the world as well as over 40 local groups throughout the United States, with one in Canada and one in Australia. Our groups are private, free to join, and are a wonderful way to stay connected with others in your area that are also dealing with life threatening food allergies. Within the local groups, we discuss things like, local events, schools, and safe restaurants. This is also a great place to lean on each other or let off some steam and not feel judged for your feelings. Food allergies can be very hard on families and it is nice to have a place to go where everyone understands these challenges. We also encourage outings and play dates within our local groups. This past Easter, our No Nuts Moms Group of Michigan hosted our second annual food free Easter Egg Hunt, with the Easter Bunny making a special appearance. Our Michigan group is also having a food free Halloween event coming up in October.

_When I originally started this group in 2011, I was searching for local support and other playmates for my peanut and tree nut allergic child. I felt alone and overwhelmed, and I really wanted to find other moms and kids that both my son and I could relate to. The group has turned out to be so much more to my family and me. I have met so many amazing people and have had so many great things happen to me on this journey. I am now the Co-Leader of FACES of Michigan, which is a local support group for food allergic families. Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) recently recognized No Nuts Moms Group as an official support group. This was a great accomplishment and a very proud moment for me. Within the past two years, I have also been invited to educational and informative summits by some of the top food allergy organizations out there, and our group is currently Jennifer Rutter, Founder of No Nuts Moms Group, and Her Family helping to get a bill passed that would allow schools to stock the life saving medication, epinephrine. This is something new for me, and I am very proud to help out in this effort.

_I am very passionate about food allergies, and it is extremely rewarding to be able to help so many families. I often say that I have the best non-paying job out there! This community and my family fuel me to keep going, and I couldn

One thought on “A Growing Food Allergy Community – Guest Post

  1. meigancam October 10, 2013 / 1:45 pm

    I was thinking a lot regarding this topic, so thanks for bringing it up here!

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