Spotlight
Anne Munoz-Furlong: Pioneer in food-allergy education
By Jennifer Redmond
Spotlight
"Your instinct just tells you that you can’t give up.” This comment from Anne Munoz-Furlong is what makes her an inspiration for all mothers.
Because Anne didn’t give up searching, reporting and helping those with life-threatening food allergies, the world is a better place. She dismisses any accolades, however. “I started like every other mother,” Anne says. She wanted to find out as much as she could about the immune-system disorder afflicting her child. She needed to keep her out of the hospital, alive and well. Her efforts to protect Mariel led to the establishment of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) in 1991. The goal was to create “a clearinghouse of information about food allergies that was science-based and practical,” Anne explains. Today, the Fairfax, Virginia-based organization is the world’s largest nonprofit providing information to the media, schools, health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, the food industry, and government officials, as well as food-allergic communities. In a month, Anne will retire from her post as CEO and president of the organization.
Starting from Zero
When Mariel was diagnosed with life-threatening allergies to milk and egg, Anne tried to educate others just as parents of allergic children must do today to safeguard their children. But big differences exist between then and now: In 1991 there were few facts and few statistics about anaphylaxis, the medical term for the most severe and potentially fatal allergic reaction to food. Food allergies were still considered rare. (Not so today. See the box below for statistics.) Labels were unclear and often inaccurate. Anne had no mentor, no resources to find a recipe for something as simple as a milk- and egg-free birthday cake for her daughter. “My introduction to food allergies was the day my daughter was diagnosed,” she says.So she learned through years of trial and error, certainly not an ideal situation for a child with a life-threatening condition. To complicate matters, she was discouraged by other parents, “who would sabotage my best laid plans,” she says.
Rather than dwell on the isolation, hurt, and anger, which she certainly acknowledges, Anne did what she does best: “I did research,” she says. As an editor for Time Inc. and a writer for Time-Life Books, she was accustomed to fact-finding missions. Thus, she dove into library books, contacted physicians and researchers, and finally, began writing and talking about her discoveries. Food Allergy News, a must-have resource for families coping with food allergies, began in her basement office.
Her professional efforts captured the attention of some of the top researchers in the field, but attracting those with actual food allergies took legwork and time. The turning point came in 1994, when Dear Abby’s Abigail Van Buren exposed the serious nature of food allergy and anaphylaxis and touted Anne’s fledgling organization. FAAN’s membership exploded.
Living with Food Allergy Today
Children in particular have benefited from increased awareness about allergies that can kill. Preschools no longer scoff at parents who insist on keeping lifesaving epinephrine on-hand for allergic emergencies; parents rarely look disgusted when you tell them your child cannot eat the birthday cake they so painstakingly decorated; children are helping their friends stay safe by alerting them of “hidden” ingredients in foods and getting help when accidents occur. Few people have not at least heard of deadly peanut allergies due to media attention. And best of all: FAAN has guided families in how to teach children to be independent, to live safe, full lives.
While she acknowledges that families have a much easier time adjusting and living with a diagnosis of food allergy than ever before, Anne sees more work to be done. “The onus is on the family,” as it always has been, she admits. “Until there’s a cure, education is the key,” continues to be FAAN’s mantra.
Researchers are definitely making strides toward that elusive “cure.” (Check for recent developments on FAAN’s website.) In the meantime, Anne holds hope that “public policy will catch up” to the needs of those with severe food allergies.
“The Reason” and “The Other”
Deb Scherrer, FAAN’s Vice President of Educational Programs, has worked with Anne from the beginning. Despite the organization’s growth and the business concerns that come with running a sizable nonprofit, “Anne has never lost sight of the reason” for FAAN’s existence, notes Deb. “At the root of it is always the families.”
Photos of children are often mailed to FAAN with notes of appreciation. These photos line the hallways of the office, serving as constant reminders of the organization’s mission. “I’m most proud of the community we’ve created around the world,” says Anne.
“I can do something that will make it better for other people,” was Anne’s impetus for working with food allergies for 24 years, long past the time her daughter outgrew her own allergies. Her children are adults and successful in their respective careers. Terry, her husband and FAAN’s COO, will retire with her in June.
Their family has benefited from the closeness of a shared goal. Mariel, whom Anne calls “The Reason,” illustrated all of FAAN’s popular children’s books while Marguerite, 27, laughingly nicknamed “The Other,” authored a number of FAAN publications. Years of volunteer work with FAAN has fostered a generous spirit in the girls.
Thank you, Anne
No one can quantify the lives saved because of Anne’s efforts. She set out to help one child and has helped millions of others. My son was one of them.
For years Anne has included a Mother’s Day greeting in her newsletter, acknowledging the work it takes for mothers of food-allergic children to shop and bake and call and plan and worry because their children could potentially take a bite of an allergen-tainted food. I have looked forward to that greeting every year. Somehow, it made me feel less alone in this sometimes overwhelming arena.
This time, it’s our turn to say Happy Mother’s Day to you, Anne. Job well done.
