Food Allergy Hero of the Month: Donna Pozzolano
My name is Donna and I have been an RN(Registered Nurse) for 35 years. Little did I know 20 years ago when I took my 8 year old to an allergist where my allergy path would lead me. I got tested at the same time as my daughter and found out I was not only allergic to environmental and animal allergens, which I have had most of my life, but to many foods as well. Tree nuts, fish and shellfish are at the top of the list. These are foods I never liked and my allergist told me it was my body’s way of saying “stay away.”
Fast forward to today and my food allergies have gotten much worse and I developed adult onset asthma. I have had multiple emergency room visits and I am maxed out on allergy/asthma medications. I cannot be in the same room as almonds as just breathing in the allergen will cause me to have a reaction. This causes me to have anxiety when going to restaurants, parties, work, etc. I am lucky to be around family and friends who understand and are always very supportive.
Four years ago, I got a labradoodle puppy named Zoe. My only goal at the time was to have a happy, well behaved dog. I took her to training classes and from there we became a pet therapy team.
While on social media, I found a few service dogs trained in allergen detection. After much research, I decided this is something I wanted to pursue but wasn’t sure Zoe would be a suitable fit. I contacted @crescentservicedogs and started training. Much to my happy surprise, Zoe loved the training. We have been training for just over a year and hope to have her training for almond odor completed in the near future. After that we will move on to fish and shellfish allergen detection. I am looking forward to completing her training as this will certainly decrease my anxiety while out in public.
Another important social media contact I have made is with @redsneakersforoakley. It’s amazing as a nurse how little I knew about anaphylaxis and how little information my doctors have discussed with me. Because of Red Sneakers for Oakley, I now carry 2 Epipens in a secure carrying case. In the past I would have delayed giving myself an Epipen. “Epi First Epi Fast” is now ingrained in me.
I am so thankful for the important work the Debbs family does. Through their tragedy they are saving so many lives. I am becoming an ambassador for Red Sneakers for Oakley and looking forward to helping share food allergy awareness.
