Vivien is 5 years old and needs your help living a life of food freedom. She was born with severe, life-threatening allergies to multiple foods. She struggled with eczema from head to toe and was in and out of doctors’ offices for the first couple years of her life. She had her first anaphylactic reaction at 4 months old after trying formula. Because of her severe reaction and skin issues, she was allergy tested at 5 months old, which is almost unheard of in the allergy world.

Over the years she continued having reactions and now has 7 confirmed food allergies: peanuts, milk, pork, beef, oats, apples, and pistachios. She also has severe environmental allergies to animal dander, stinging insects, and mold spores that need to be treated in order for her to complete treatment safely. 

At her most recent appointment, her allergist said her milk and peanut levels are still off the charts. Most kids outgrow milk allergies by now, but Vivien’s IgE levels keep increasing. Her peanut bloodwork shows that she is at high risk for severe anaphylaxis from contact, airborne exposure, or ingestion. Her allergist told us, “she will never outgrow her peanut allergy.”

Vivien has developed asthma and although she has outgrown the eczema, we still have to completely avoid certain foods in our home. Her peanut and milk allergies are so severe that we can’t even eat those foods and kiss our daughter after. If you eat something like Doritos and touch her, she will break out in hives. She’s had a reaction at the park just from sitting on a picnic table that had peanut butter residue on it.

For the last 5 years we’ve had to be extremely careful and avoid normal places and events. School, restaurants, parks, and family gatherings are all risky. The mental load and stress is a lot.

We were recently accepted into a treatment program at the Food Allergy Institute in California. They offer a program called TIP that works by retraining the immune system through small, personalized doses over time. They’ve successfully helped thousands of kids achieve full food freedom. Because Vivien’s case is more complex than most, it’s expected to take her around 5 years to complete. They’ve assured us she’s a good candidate and that full food freedom is possible for her.

The program is expensive and not covered by our current insurance. In order to use insurance, we would have to switch from an HMO to a PPO plan, and the monthly premiums for a PPO cost just as much (if not more) than the self-pay option. Because of that, we’ve decided to move forward with the self-pay plan so Vivien can begin treatment as soon as possible. It costs $979 a month for the first year and $899 a month for each year after that. Environmental allergy treatment is an additional $300 per quarter. We’ll also need to fly to Los Angeles, CA four times a year, with one of those visits being a longer 5 day trip. Roundtrip flights for Vivien and me cost about $650 per trip. On top of that we need money for hotels, transportation, food, and other travel expenses.

Here is a breakdown of the full 5 year cost:

TIP treatment: $54,900

Environmental allergy treatment: $6,000

Flights: $13,000

Hotels, transportation, and food: $11,500

Total: $85,400

We’re doing everything we can to make this happen and will go to any lengths to give our daughter the chance to live a full, safe, healthy life without fear. We appreciate any donation or share more than we can ever put into words. Thank you for helping us give Vivien the chance to be a normal kid and lessen her risk of life-threatening anaphylaxis.

With love,

Becky and Brooks (Vivien’s parents)