Dubbed “The Power Panel” Caroline Moassessi, Laurel Francoeur, me, and Jan Hansen

I was honored to speak at this year’s Food Allergy Bloggers Conference held at the South Point Hotel in Las Vegas.  Last year was it’s inaugural year and there was so much buzz about it that I entered this year with very high expectations.  Not only would I be able to meet, in person, people I have been working with for several years but I would also be in an environment like no other.  This conference is not associated with a specific non-profit is very much a conference about building our food allergy community and its businesses.  As a result there were food vendors, app creators, website designers, social media experts, bloggers, authors and people like me, (food allergy educators and consultants) all there to talk shop.

I finally got to meet my friend, Caroline Moassessi.

I started out my weekend by meeting a woman I have grown to love even though we had never actually met, Caroline Moassessi.  Let me say, that I was not disappointed.  She was just as wonderful as I imagined her.  She is the woman behind GratefulFoodie.com.  Her blog keeps us all up-to-date on the latest happenings in the world of asthma and allergies including product reviews and personal musings.

On my way to drop off all our luggage, I hear….”Gina!” from down the long hotel corridor.  Who did I find?  The one and only, Keith Norman, chef and allergy educator.  Again, we’ve never really met but hugs were in order anyway.  He is a warm, kind person and I was thankful to get to know him a little but more.

Breakfast with the ladies and Chef Keith Norman.
Front: me, Keith
Back: Caroline Moassessi, Cheryl Viirand (Freedible.com), Tricia Gravankar (RockFoodAllergiesConsulting.com), Rebecca Sherrow, and Adrienne

The next morning, several of us met for breakfast.  I was happy to finally meet another compadre, Tricia Gravankar.  We have had lots of discussions about our individual passions to help spread the word about food allergy management in way that is fact-based and clear.  She is a true asset to the food allergy community with her background as a nurse and her experience as a parent and a patient.  She launched her own consulting business at FABCon, RockFoodAllergiesConsulting.  Her specialty is anaphylaxis education and management.  I also met the ladies from Freedible.com, a wonderful website designed specifically to engage the food blogging community.

FRIDAY

Friday night was the official beginning of the conference.  Earlier in the day, I registered and received a literal mountain of freebies from the show sponsors.  A special thank you must go out to the sponsors: Sanofi, Enjoy Life, Mylan, Nature’s Path, Allergic Living, Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Kids with Food Allergies, Food Allergy Research and Education, Gluten Free and more, SunButter, South Point, AllerBling, AllergyEats, I.M. Healthy SoyNutButter, Luke’s Organic, SoDelicious, Cybele’s, Freedible, Don’t Go Nuts, Anaphylaxis Canada, Pinto Barn, Pascha, YoDish, Orange Geek, Tiger Nuts, SunCups, Zego, Growing Naturals, Rock Food Allergies Consulting, Ian’s, Affinity, No Biggie Bunch, Vine Market, Divvies, Udi’s Gluten Free, Celiac Support Association, Massel, and Content Checked for their generosity.

The Friday night dinner and social were highlighted by the “surprise” awards given to some of my personal heros, Lynda Mitchell (Founder of Kids with Food Allergies), Linda Coss (Author of How to Manage Your Child’s Life-Threatening Food Allergies and two cookbooks), Beth Hillson, and Dr. Paul Erlich.  To top it all off, I was able to meet Robyn O’Brien (food allergy warrior and author of The Unhealthy Truth)

Pictured here: Jenny Sprague (FABlogCon Founder), Linda Coss, Lynda Mitchell and Homa Woodrum (FABlogCon Founder).

SATURDAY

The next day was a blur of activity and workshops by some of the best blogging/food allergy/social media minds around.  My only regret is that I cannot clone myself.  I was only able to attend one session.  It was with blogger/author/editor, Alisa Fleming from godairyfree.com and I was happy to learn some valuable tips from her. I missed a couple of session because I was finally able to catch up with a dear friend, Yael Kozar.  I was honored to be interviewed by her for her enormously popular Food Allergy Podcasts.  I also got to meet the camera man, Yael’s hardworking, very supportive husband!

Breakfast and lunch times were perfect for catching up with friends old and new.  I was  happy to see Lori Sandler from Divvies, Eleanor Garrow and Carol D’Agnese from FAACT, Kim and Jodie from AllerBling, Heather Mehra from The No Biggie Bunch, David Bloom and his lovely wife, Debra of SnackSafely.com and many others.  Here are few pictures from my personal FABCon album.

FoodAllergyMomDoc, Donna DeCosta

Me, Allergic Living Editor, Gwen Smith and No Nut Traveler, Lianne Mandlebaum

Loved meeting these fabulous ladies! Support group leaders and amazing advocates, Connie Green and Kelly Morgan.

Super Advocate, Sharon Wong

Kyle Dine, me, Tiffany Glass and our “friends”.

The final session of Saturday featured Dr. Li and Dr. Gupta presenting one of my favorite topics, Food Allergy Research.  I was impressed by the results of the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  Dr. Gupta had a message that was so happy to hear, I had to cheer from the back of the room.  “Epinephrine must be used as a first-line treatment for anaphylaxis.  Not antihistamine.”   She also surprised us all by launching an educational music video featuring her rendition of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.”  For more information about the session content, visit my twitter feed for #fablogcon.

Saturday night, Laurel Francoeur and I launched our new book, the Preschool Food Allergy Handbook (sponsored in part by BugaBees:Friends with Food Allergies and Kyle Dine).  The response to our book was very exciting!  It is our mission to reach this important population with the information and resources they need to have a successful foundation at preschool.

Our first customers, Summer and Sara, advocates from Nevada and super nice people.

The amazing Dr. Li even stopped by to buy our book!

SATURDAY NIGHT SURPRISE!!  Jerome Bettis came by to speak to the crowd and spend a moment with each of us.

SUNDAY

Sunday was show time.  I presented two workshops with colleagues Jan Hanson, Caroline Moassessi and Laurel Francoeur.  The first was “How to Influence Change in School Policy”, and the second was “504 Plans”.

After our presentations, we were ready to relax and have fun!

The only downside to presenting is missing the other sessions.  There were many fantastic people to meet and learn from that I couldn’t possibly see everyone.  Next year, I’m making it a priority to see more sessions.

Sunday night, I was truly honored to have dinner with some of the most amazing women in the food allergy community.  Even though I was thoroughly exhausted, it was wonderful to look around the table and see the faces of people I admire so  much and to be able to toast to them and all that has been achieved through their efforts.   It was an experience I won’t soon forget.

Pictured here: Heidi Bayer, Jenny Sprague, Homa Woodrum, Collette Martin and Laurel Francoeur.  Not pictured:  Mary Vargas, Gwen Smith, Lianne Mandlebaum, Caroline Moassessi, Lynda Mitchell, Linda Coss and many more.

I cannot end this post without acknowledging the two women that were responsible for creating not only a conference, but a true experience, Homa Woodrum and Jenny Sprague.  I am extremely grateful for their dedication to bringing our community together for the common good and for their tireless efforts in making the weekend run smoothly.  Thank you, ladies!  I’m already gearing up for next year!

Homa, Jenny and Selena.