#storiesthatmatter: What do holidays look like for a food allergy family?

For most families, holidays and social events — like Halloween — are a time to relax. But for parents of the 5.6 million American children living with food allergies, relaxing during any event that involves food is nearly impossible.

“A lot of stress comes with holidays, a lot of stress comes with events, and it’s up to us — and it’s up to our community — to rally around that. It really takes a village to ensure safety for our children that can’t really advocate for themselves.”

In our next Stories That Matter, watch Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois’s manager of client consulting Adam Seidler share the behind-the-scenes work it takes to ensure that his children, who both live with serious food allergies, have a safe Halloween.

Help families in your neighborhood enjoy Halloween by providing food allergy-safe options and participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project. Learn more about the initiative here.

Interested in learning more about new innovations that help families like Adam’s? On October 4, Adam will lead a panel discussion with allergy experts from MATTER startups Alerje and ClostraBio. RSVP here.