Talking Allergies

I didn't know whether to post this under "New"s or "advocacy"...thanks to CP for sending this to me:

Vote for Trace Adkins. He is appearing on Celebrity Apprentice, Thursday nights. Contestants are competing for donations to their charity of choice. Trace’s charity is the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. To learn more, read:

http://www.foodallergy.org/traceadkins.html


To vote for Trace Adkins, go to: http://www.pedigree.com/home.asp


Click on watch now. Trace Adkins’ team produced the video on the left hand side: Trump’s Choice



Cindy Paskey

www.b-online.ca

www.nask.ca

Can't say I've been following the series, but apparently the ponytailed country crooner Trace Adkins (allergy dad) has made it to the finale up against the patented mean-but-competent British fellow aka Piers Morgan. (Saw it once - Piers makes Simon Cowell look warm and fuzzy.) The final is on Thursday on NBC. Not sure of the time...

Would be nice to vote for him/FAAN. Anyone know if we can vote from Canada?

Here's a media release from CMT:

_________________
Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Here is the main site for the show:

http://www.nbc.com/The_Celebrity_Apprentice/

On that page, you can currently vote in a POLL to show who you like most. I'm not sure that this show is driven by voters - I think Donald Trump is the one who decides who stays and who goes. (As in, YOU'RE FIRED! )

But the good news is: the opinion poll shows that Trace is way out in front.

I only caught this show once - last week, and only some of it - but Trace Adkins seems like a sweetie. A very cool, laid-back person, with has one of the lowest voices I've ever heard on a man! At some point, his girls showed up as a surprise, and he said, "That's who I'm doing this for, that little 6 year old" and I guessed that it was for his daughter with FAs. (I had forgotten about the aaronsmom's post.)

K.

_________________
Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

We are apprentice fans and have been following the series. Trace is a sweetheart and has played the game really well - very intelligent, soft spoken, well mannered but tough when needed. He is a great spokesperson for FAAN. In the last episode, the contestants had to go through a series of interviews. He spoke about the many times that they have rushed to the emergency room with their daughter. It was very touching and personal.

I imagine in the finale this week some time will be given to discuss the charity of each of the final two. It is a great opportunity to educate a wide audience about food allergies. I can't wait for Thursday.

_________________
11 year old daughter -- lives with life-threatening allergies to milk, eggs and peanuts; seasonal allergies (birch, maple, ragweed); pet allergies; asthma; and eczema
9 year old son - no allergies

I have actually seen some comments on message boards saying that Piers should win because he has a more 'worthy' charity. It made me really mad! It also really highlighted why we need this organization in the first place, it is true that Trace could just give them money but going on the show as he has done has given food allergies exposure and given people opportunities to educate others on just how serious this can be. It is not a bunch of ypochonriacs whining about some stupid thing, people can DIE from this! I am glad Trace is bringing some exposure to the problem.

_________________
Asthma and eczema
Drug allergy (succinylcholine)
Food (corn, raw apples, green beans, tree nuts, flax)
Misc (pollen, grass, mold, dogs, cats)

Quote:

I will try to be as respectful as Piers will allow me to be

Ha! I love it!

http://www.cmt.com/news/news-in-brief/1 ... nale.jhtml

_________________
Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

I've watched the show, and I'm really glad that FAs are getting mainstream exposure! My heart broke as he recalled trips to the hospital with his daughter... I want him to win!!!

_________________
Me - Kim - No allergies
DH Ben - 31 - Allergic to nuts and peanuts, lots of environmental allergies.
DD Anne - 4 - Asthma. Allergic to dairy, eggs, mustard, kiwi, peanuts, wheat and barley... for now...
DS Francois - 1 - No allergies so far...

FYI, FAAN's media release:

Trace Adkins, Finalist on NBC's "The Celebrity Apprentice," Will Sing
Thursday Night

It’s the final showdown between country music sensation Trace Adkins and
British tabloid editor/“America’s Got Talent” judge Piers Morgan in the
long-awaited season finale of “The Celebrity Apprentice.” Trace and Piers
are the last two players remaining, and they will compete in a live two-hour
finale airing on NBC Thursday, March 27th, at 9 PM ET/PT. Donald Trump will
name one of them the first-ever “Celebrity Apprentice” and award a $250K
check to the winner’s charity.

Trace Adkins’ integrity and passion for his charity, the Food Allergy &
Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), were enough to qualify him as one of the two
finalists in this season of the TV reality series “The Celebrity
Apprentice.” The final face-off will include a charity auction and
performance by The Backstreet Boys.

They won’t be the only ones singing. Trace Adkins will be performing his hit
single “You're Gonna Miss This” live with his band during the finale.
Immediately following his performance, a prerecorded live charity single
download will be on sale to the public at iTunes.com, giving you an
opportunity to support Trace Adkins’ charity, FAAN.

Starting Thursday, March 27th, this charity single will be available
exclusively at iTunes for only two weeks. The net proceeds for the entire
two-week lifespan of the download will go to FAAN. Thank you to Capitol
Records Nashville and iTunes for coming together to give back to FAAN.

Also, NBC is now giving viewers a chance to lend a hand and support the
charities attached to the show's finalists. Beginning Thursday, March 27th
viewers will be able to donate to the two finalists' charities by texting
the message TRUMP to 30101. Cost per text is $1.00, plus participating
service providers may charge additional text messaging fees. Net proceeds
will be donated to the finalists’ charities. Viewers who text will receive a
video message from Donald Trump thanking them for their generosity. Viewers
can go to www.nbc.com/The_Celebrity_Apprentice for complete details.
Entrants must be 18 or older.

The largest charity in the U.S. dedicated to helping and advocating for the
12 million Americans with food allergy, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis
Network (FAAN) was established in 1991. FAAN's membership now stands at
close to 30,000 worldwide and includes families, dietitians, nurses,
physicians, school staff, and representatives from government agencies and
the food and pharmaceutical industries. FAAN serves as the communication
link between the allergic patient and others. Trace's 6-year-old daughter
had a severe, life-threatening reaction to peanut butter when she was just 9
months old, an experience Trace called "terrifying." FAAN has played an
instrumental role in the lives of families like Trace's and thousands more
across the U.S. For more information about food allergies, visit
www.foodallergy.org.

Be sure to watch the finale of “The Celebrity Apprentice” on NBC, Thursday,
March 27th at 9:00 PM ET/PT! http://www.nbc.com/The_Celebrity_Apprentice/

_________________
Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Yeah, but there was also a comment from a military family (Piers is supporting a charity to do with the US military, I think) that said that THEY thought that Trace was the better candidate, and hoped that he would win! I found that there were a lot of pro-Trace comments, actually, which was very heart-warming.

I really hope he wins!!

K.

_________________
Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

Too bad he lost. Drat.

But I guess "the Donald" would have looked like a hypocrite if he hadn't given it to Piers - since he's always saying business is about results and Piers took in a phenomenal amount of money at the auction they held.

I didn't get to see the early part of the show - but doesn't FAAN still get the money Adkins raised? I'll keep an eye out for a press release. That will certainly still be a help.

All in all, this had to be good awareness for food allergies, and was rather fun to watch.

_________________
Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

I know - I was very disappointed, but with the amount of money that Piers raised at the auction, he had to win...

FAAN will get the money that Trace raised, and I'm pretty sure that I heard that the gentleman at the auction who was so generous (buying 2 auction items worth $100,000 each - both were Piers' items) was also going to match each dollar that the public donates to both charities, up to a value of $250,000. So FAAN will get money from that.

Also, I got this by email from FAAN today:

=======================================
**We need your help, and you don’t want to miss this!**

Download country music sensation Trace Adkins'’ live recording of the hit
single “You'’re Gonna Miss This” from iTunes between March 27 and April 10,
2008 to support the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.

Trace Adkins appeared on “The Celebrity Apprentice” raising awareness for
the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), and will reprise his role
as the 2008 National Honorary Chair of FAAN’s Walk for Food Allergy.

"“I know firsthand how important FAAN’s efforts to increase funding for
food allergy education and research are,"” says Trace, whose 6-year-old
daughter Brianna is allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts. He and
his family turn to FAAN for help managing Brianna’s food allergies, and
now Trace is helping FAAN.

You can help Trace Adkins support FAAN. Purchase “You’'re Gonna Miss This”
from iTunes for only 99 cents:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZSt ... 9&s=143441

Proceeds from this promotion will be donated to FAAN to use for food
allergy education and research.

Buy your copy today, and make sure to tell your friends and family to do
the same. These are some good times and you don’t want to miss this!

=======================================

K.

_________________
Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

The show was great last night. The segment about his daughter and their effort to keep her safe was very touching and it talked about her milk allergy too! I thought it was amazing to see a father being a strong advocate for a child with allergies when so often it is the moms who take on this active role. In his last pitch to Donald he said that he was speaking on behalf of the Dad's who have children with life threatening allergies.
Great exposure for our issue and a wonderful spokesperson! Maybe I will become a country music fan.
Kate

_________________
11 year old daughter -- lives with life-threatening allergies to milk, eggs and peanuts; seasonal allergies (birch, maple, ragweed); pet allergies; asthma; and eczema
9 year old son - no allergies

I agree, Kate - I also thought it was great to hear him talk about representing the fathers of allergic children. FAAN is very lucky to have him as their spokesperson.

K.

_________________
Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

Just wanted to add:

As many of you might know, country superstar Trace Adkins was recently on The Celebrity Apprentice, hosted by the always charming Donald Trump. Each celebrity was competing on behalf of a favourite charity, and Trace’s was the US-based Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). His youngest daughter is severely allergic to dairy, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts.

Unfortunately, he came in second, so FAAN did not get the big prize of $250,000, but there is still a chance to help support the effort by buying Trace’s latest single from iTunes.

Go to http://www.foodallergy.org/TraceAdkins/iTunes.html for more details about how to buy the song (for only 99 cents). It’s quite a nice song – he sang it on the finale.

_________________
Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

Did FAAN get any money for coming in second place?