A little autograph can go a long way...

In The Rumble with Grumble, we find our hero, Turtle, facing down a huge monster, Grumble. What must turtle be feeling? Maybe fear, self-doubt, hopelessness. But thankfully, there is also friendship, courage and finally happiness. But these are not the things I want to talk about. What I want to address in this post plays only a small part in the book, and yet such a major part in the lives of so many. I want to talk about allergies.

For those of you who have read my book, you know what I'm talking about. For others, you will know once you read it. Allergies...anaphalaxia...eczema, night-coughs, food intolerance, inhalers and nebulizers, allergy injections, antihistamines...and the list goes on and on. If you have ever lived with anyone who suffers from asthma or allergies, you know too well what I am talking about. 

I am an allergy mother. No, I don't have allergies, but I am an expert. I have 5 years of in-depth, hands-on experience. My oldest son has severe allergies, eczema and asthma. You name it, and he is probably allergic to it. Wheat, soy, egg, milk, peanuts, dog, cat, grass, and yes, even cockroaches (this is not even all of them) Some of these are mild (comparatively anyway) while others are very severe.  He currently takes two daily medications to control his symptoms and we carry an EpiPen if we are ever faced with a severe reaction (anaphalactic shock). But he shouldn't need to worry about anything other than just being a kid.  

So, why am I telling you this? What is my point? Because this means so much to me, and because I want in the future for children to be able to play without wheezing or eat a snickers bar without a reaction or even just sleep through the night without coughing, because of THESE things I am donating all the money from autographing to The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. When you buy an autographed copy, you will be helping to fund research, raise awareness and improve the quality of life for children and adults who suffer from asthma and allergies. 

For the mothers and fathers among you who have children that have been recently diagnosed with asthma or allergies this is to you:

You have felt or are going to feel exactly what Turtle felt; 

FEAR "what does this mean for my child? can he ever be normal?" 

SELF-DOUBT "how can I deal with this? how can I afford this? Am I strong enough to overcome this?" HOPELESSNESS "I give up, I don't know what else to do" 

You are not alone in your thinking, and yes, there is hope. You will need to find friendship, a support system, and you will need courage, especially for the many doctor appointments and invasive and endless testing. BUT you will be happy again and THAT is something that I promise. 

Please feel free to email me, kelseymariewagner@yahoo.com for questions or comments, or if you are interested in having me come speak at your school or event