AIFA welcomed Michael Fries and his support crew into Circular Quay on 31st March after his epic ride from Melbourne. The team raised over $3200 for AIFA and spread the word through regional Victoria and NSW about our work.

Michael raised the money on an innovative new app that encourages Generation Y to get into fundraising using small microdonations on their mobile phones. Donations will be accepted until the end of April. Every little bit helps to go a long way, as Michael knows.

www.givercharityapp.com

Dorotea was diagnosed with Food Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES) at 4 months of age. This year research funding from AIFA is targeted at finding out more about this condition to help children like her. See www.allergyimmunology.org.au/projects 

"To say that having a child with FPIES is stressful is an understatement," Dorotea's mother Amanda writes. "Getting help for these children is very difficult as the condition is rare and even many paediatricians are inexperienced in the management of it. Dorotea's first admission to hospital was after a severe reaction to soy formula. As is often the case, it was misdiagnosed as a viral gastroenteritis.

The main symptom of FPIES is profuse vomiting, which can be accompanied by pallor, floppiness, hypotension and hypothermia. The FPIES reactions may be triggered by a variety of foods, although the most common triggers in Australia are staple foods such as cow’s milk, rice/oats, soy and eggs.

Amanda explains that "the diagnosis of FPIES is just the beginning of what is often an incredibly exhausting few years. Because there is no testing available to ascertain what foods are safe, each new food needs to be trialled separately. We long to see this condition better understood so that families do not have to live with the exhaustion and uncertainty that marks our weeks."

Michael Fries is preparing to undertake a significant mental and physical challenge to raise money for AIFA.

Our bold, new fundraiser suffered from multiple allergies as a child.

When Michael was six months old, he was diagnosed with allergies to egg, dairy, specific nuts, some meats, animal fur and dust mites.

He experienced a few close calls which were life-threatening.

"I can empathise with the daily struggle of people afflicted with allergies and the stress and anxiety that is endured by families", Michael explained.

Tragically, last month a 57 year-old truck driver, Mark Williams, died after an allergic reaction to a bee sting in Western Australia.

"Mark did take his allergy seriously but his death shows how dangerous allergies can be and how quickly something can happen,” his wife Maree said in an article in The West Australian. (See https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/29924289/daredevil-knew-risks-of-sting/ - Note this original link no longer valid - Sep 2022)

A donation in Memoriam from his friends and colleagues is now listed on the Donors page of the AIFA website www.allergyimmunology.org.au/our-supporters/donors

Allergies to venoms from stinging insects are one of the most common causes of severe allergic reactions in Australia.

Following her revelation about her lupus diagnosis, singer Selena Gomez gave more details about her condition on the Ellen DeGeneres show recently. With millions of viewers worldwide, it was a great platform for raising awareness of this disease. Gomez explained that lupus is an autoimmune disease, which will stay with her for the rest of her life.

Natalie Cromb, an Australian blogger, has written a moving account of her family's personal story as her sister struggles with Lupus. She writes:

Chronic illness changes people - it changes families.
Chronic illness is not understood by those who aren't in the trenches with it.
Chronic illness is a lifetime on the sidelines, battling for moments. A life not lived but endured.

Read Natalie's account of the hard reality of Lupus on her blog: http://nataliecromb.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/chronic-illness-and-its-crippling.html 

Lupus is most common in women (90%) and the majority develop the condition between 15 and 45.

Allergic rhinitis (hay fever) is a common and debilitating disease affecting around 1 in 5 people in Australia and New Zealand. Despite its common name, it is not caused by hay and does not result in fever. Even though it was known that pollen rather than hay was the cause as far back as the early 1800's, the term hay fever stuck. Pollen from grasses, weeds or trees, released in spring, can trigger symptoms of allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and asthma. It is that time of year.

Symptoms are caused by the body's immune response to inhaled pollen, resulting in chronic inflammation of the eyes and nasal passages. People with allergic rhinitis often suffer from fatigue due to poor quality sleep. It can impair learning and performance in children, result in more frequent absenteeism in adults and reduced productivity, and therefore can cause considerable impairment to quality of life.

Around 8 in 10 people with asthma have allergic rhinitis, and this can make asthma more difficult to control.

To help people who suffer from pollen induced allergic rhinitis, a project known as the Australian Pollen Allergen Partnership was established to provide a standardised, readily accessible and reliable pollen count network to provide current local information to patients and doctors for the major Australian cities.

This project is supported by a grant from the Allergy and Immunology Foundation of Australasia. See www.allergyimmunology.org.au/projects.