Allergy Pals going strong

From L to R: Kim Wright (AllerGen), Kyle Dine, Benjamin Cruickshank, Giulia Cavaleri and Allison Cruickshank

On August 11, 2017, student Benjamin Cruickshank and his mom, Allison, met with AllerGen staff to share how the Allergy Pals program for kids with food allergies has had an impact on their lives.

“I love Allergy Pals,” says 11-year-old Benjamin. “It helped me to feel more confident in dealing with my allergies and with some of the social stuff that happens when you can’t have what everyone else is eating.”

Allergy Pals is a free, online peer-mentorship program offered by Food
Allergy Canada for kids across the country.

Program materials were adapted from AllerGen research led by Network investigator Dr. Miriam Stewart and her team at the University of Alberta.

Allergy Pals program coordinator Kyle Dine and Benjamin’s peer mentor Giulia Cavaleri were also on hand to talk about the importance of mobilizing academic
research to community organizations like Food Allergy Canada.

“Programs like this help kids with allergies to learn from others who have faced similar experiences and empower them tell their own stories,” says Dine.