Local families gathered at Glen Island Park Saturday for the first Westchester FAAN Walk for Food Allergy.

According to its Web site, FAAN, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, provides "advocacy and education while advancing research on behalf of those affected by food allergies and anaphylaxis."

By the time the walk began, the event had registered more than 1,000 walkers and raised more than $130,000. This makes the Westchester FAAN Walk one of the top three most successful, financially, in the country. There are 54 FAAN walks in the U.S. every year.

While the funds will help researchers work toward a cure, the event itself focused on raising awareness of food allergies, which affect 4 percent of the population. Food allergies are most prevalent in children. Common foods that trigger allergic reactions include peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish, shellfish, milk and wheat.

The leaders of the FAAN event emphasized that a food allergy is a serious condition which can lead to hives, breathing problems, and even death. Attendees expressed shared frustration that many consider food allergies an inconvenience rather than a life-threatening medical condition.

Diane Lynch, one of the parents who came to take the two-mile walk along the scenic Long Island Sound, remembers her twenty-two month old son Cormac's first allergic reaction. Although Cormac had previously eaten peanut butter without incident, he had his first reaction while eating peanut butter crackers.

"He rubbed the peanut butter from his hands on his eyes," said Lynch. "And his eyes shut and swelled up like golf balls."

Lynch has a blog called "No Nuts for My Peanut" (http://nonutsformypeanut.blogspot.com/) in which she writes about the "challenges and triumphs" of raising a child with allergies. Lynch's blog serves to show parents of allergy-affected children that they are not alone.

The walk served the same function. Even the emcee, meteorologist Lee Goldberg of WABC-TV, shared the story of discovering his son Ethan's food allergy.

"Ethan just dipped his little finger in egg yolk and had a reaction," Goldberg said, his arm around his son.

Goldberg numerated difficulties allergy-affected families face, such as ascertaining the ingredients in a restaurant meal, or deciphering unclear or incomplete labels on packaged foods.

A decorated balloon bobbing above the festivities read, "Please Label Sesame." The balloon belonged to the family of Dr. Wendy Jeshion, a pediatric gasteroenterologist who explained that sesame is one of the most common allergens and yet is not clearly indicated on many packaged foods, such as hummus.

Sesame is also one of the foods that trigger an allergic reaction in Jeshion's 6-year-old daughter, Isabella. When Isabella was eighteen months old, she was eating hummus when hives broke out all over her body. It turned out she was allergic to sesame, an ingredient not clearly indicated on the label.

Jeshion is a vocal advocate for education and for labeling laws. Since 2006, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act has required that food labels indicated "major food allergens…in plain language…if they are present in any amount."

More personally, Jeshion has become an advocate for her daughter, Isabella.

"For school, it's all about education," Jeshion said. "I taught every member of the school to use an epi pen. Isabella has a peanut, nut, and sesame-free classroom. Not a separate table—a whole safe classroom."

Allergy-affected kids are often separated during lunch periods in schools, a distinction which can lead to social isolation or even bullying.

Diane Lynch shares this concern; a recent post on her blog read in part: "At least once a week I have the same nightmare that Cormac is on the school bus and another kid is chasing him with a PB&J sandwich."

The FAAN walk's Honorary Medical Chair, Dr. Amanda Cox of Mount Sinai Hospital, lauds actions such as Jeshion took in establishing an allergen-free classroom.

"The schools are a big challenge," Cox said. "Doctors can't go into every school, so the parents have to be the ones to change the policies."

Luckily, parents who face the challenge of feeding and monitoring allergy-afflicted kids have resources such as FAAN, whose Web site provides contact information for local support groups (http://www.foodallergy.org/section/support-groups). This year's successful walk is also the start of a Westchester tradition, bringing allergy-affected families to take a collective step forward towards a safer world for their kids.

To read more about the organization that went into the FAAN walk, click here: http://newrochelle.patch.com/articles/parents-organize-walk-to-raise-awareness-of-food-allergies