Anaphylaxis Canada > Living With Anaphylaxis > Unsung Heroes

This summer Janet wrote the following letter to The Air Canada Centre in Toronto and sent a copy to Anaphylaxis Canada.

"My son is 7 years old and is a member of the Maple Leaf Buds Club. He is an avid Leaf fan - he knows all the players, tracks the team schedule and standings, watches most of the games on TV and checks the score on TSN in the morning.

"But he has a severe peanut allergy. I took him to a Leaf game in December and we could only watch two periods as other fans were eating peanuts right beside us. I know we can't prevent the Air Canada Centre from selling peanuts, or fans from buying them, but is there a section that could be set up as Peanut Free?

"I cannot take my son to another Leaf/Raptor or Rock game because I cannot take that chance with his life. He is very disappointed and we hope that someone in your organization could change that."

This is the reply that was sent to Anaphylaxis Canada from the Air Canada Centre.

"I am the Fan Advocate at the Air Canada Centre. I wanted to follow up with you to inform you that I have had the opportunity to speak with Janet directly. We have made arrangements for Bradley and guest to sit in an accessible section. I also informed [Janet] that, with the exception of peanuts, any of the food prepared and sold in the concession stands is prepared in a peanut-free manner. Janet was happy to be able to speak to someone directly regarding her concerns."

Congratulations to Bradley and his Mom, Janet for presenting their case so clearly and respectfully and to the Air Canada Centre for responding to Bradley's needs.

You may be interested to know that the following headline appeared in an American newspaper on May 29, 2002:

"Ballparks Making Special Effort To Accommodate Kids With Food Allergies With Special Sections"

"A year ago, Nicholas' peanut allergy forced his family to bolt from a New Britain Rock Cats baseball game just minutes after arriving. This month, the 6-year-old threw out the first pitch. The team, and others around the country, are setting aside special "food-free" sections for fans with severe allergies."

You can help too. Whether you are a coach, teacher, parent or friend, you can make your community safer for people living with anaphylaxis. Find out how you can make a difference! Support Allergic Friends Everywhere - go SAFE.