Living with food allergies can be challenging. “I’m always reading food labels,” says Debbie, mom to Mojo, an eighteen-month-old who suffers from multiple food allergies—eggs, dairy, peanuts, sesame and cashews, to name a few. “And I have to be very creative with his diet!”
Though young in years, Mojo has visited the emergency room twice because of blocked airways, a result of accidental exposure to dairy foods. “He has an EpiPen,” explains his mom. “His caregivers have to be aware of his food allergies and know how to treat a reaction in case he has one.”
It certainly makes life complicated—and costly. That’s why Retraite Quebec (previously known as Regie des rentes du Quebec) offers a monthly supplement of $190 to the family of a child suffering from severe food allergies. Your family might qualify if your child’s is allergic to…
• Three distinct food groups
• An entire food group, i.e. all nuts, not just cashews; or eggs, both raw and cooked
• An ingredient that is difficult to avoid, like dairy or wheat