What NOT to buy
We commonly give gifts of food, scented candles, lotions and other everyday items that are simply not good gifts for people with allergies. If you are shopping for a friend or loved one with a severe corn allergy remember:
Please do NOT buy:
- Items with fumes (many corn allergic people are sensitive to the fumes from aldehydes or items that are carried in an ethyl alcohol (corn) base)
- NO PERFUME
- NO SOAPS
- NO LOTIONS
- NO POTPOURRI
- NO CANDLES
- NO SPRAYS - linen waters, home fragrances, etc.
Please do NOT buy any foods*:
- NO candy
- NO chocolate
- NO baked goods
Do not buy these items UNLESS -- you have seen your friend use/eat this item, and have discussed with them that this EXACT item is safe for them, and take the label with you when you buy it. Why do you need the label? Well..for example, Reed's makes 4 types of ginger ale, but only 1 of those is safe for people with corn allergies. If you just remember that you want to buy Reed's Ginger Ale, there is a 3 out of 4 chance that you will buy the wrong one. If you think this will ruin a surprise, just ask outright for a list of things that are safe for your friend and surprise your friend with something from the list . Believe me when I tell you that we would rather not be surprised that be surprised with a gift that will make us sick or could kill us. Really.
An Incredibly Thoughtful Gift!
Nothing says I want you to be safe and prepared to deal with this food allergy like a Palm Pilot preloaded with the list of safe foods and corn ingredients. Or a Palm Pilot, period. Seriously, this has to be the best allergy gift EVER -- my amazing friend Jessica (we've been friends since elementary school, she once had to inject me with the Epi-Pen and she didn't even flinch! What a Rock Star!) sent me a brand spanking new Palm Pilot for Hanukkah/Christmas this year so that I could carry the list of allergy safe foods and allergy ingredients with me everywhere.
I had told Jessica what I thought was a funny story about how I have the big list of foods and ingredients printed out and stored in my large purse, but would leave the house with just keys and my small bag (Epi-pen & Benadryl) and would be at the doctors office or the store trying to guess about whether an ingredient contained corn and wind up on the cell phone trying to get my sweetie to get the list or just take over the doctor's computer to check the inactive ingredients of the drug. She was more alarmed than amused. A few days later a big Hanukkah/Christmas gift shows up at my door from Jessica -- the Palm Pilot! This has already been both a lifesaver and a life enhancer in the 7 months that I’ve had it. I’ve been able to try new foods because I had the latest safe foods list with me and I’ve been able to use the list of corn ingredients with my doctor and pharmacist to find safe antibiotics and OTC meds. Thanks again Jessica! Free ad: http://www.palm.com/us/products/handhelds
*The Exception to the Food Rule - A Gift Basket Story
There is always an exception and we have one with a gift basket. To do this properly, get someone with the same allergy to help you or go to a store that deals with people with food allergies, like Whole Foods and get someone to help you. Print out the lists from the safer shopping info in the Corn Allergy Links page and take that with you as a reference.
Our very thoughtful neighbor Evie gave us an enormous gift basket from Whole Foods and every single thing in it was food that was actually safe for me. I am not sure if divine intervention was involved, as the odds of this happening are very, very slim. I usually mess up and buy something I can't eat at least 2 or 3 times a month. Here's the tale:
She started by talking with the people who make the gift baskets and they brought in another person from customer service to help her go through the store and find corn-free, organic products. It was a gorgeous, delicious basket and it even had a new food for me - Whole Foods Gingerbread! Delicious. I can't wait till they make it again next fall. Now, there is no guarantee that the person who helps you at Whole Foods will know as much about allergies as the person who helped Evie, so I still suggest that you get a list from your friend of safe products. There is one woman who works at our Whole Foods who has a corn sensitivity ( delayed skin reaction) so the staff there may be more up on the corn allergy issue than at other stores. Evie was more than just lucky, she was very persistent in getting the help she needed to make the basket safe, so if you decide to do this, make sure you do it on a day you are feeling assertive!
Easy and Always Appreciated
Gift certificates! If there is a Trader Joe's or a Whole Foods or other health food /organic grocery or farmers market in your town, your allergic friend already spends far too much of their paycheck there. Drugstore.com and Amazon are good ones too, since many corn allergic people order corn free products from there. A gift certificate to any of these places would make your corn allergic friend very happy and save you some stress. We understand that it is difficult to shop for us and a gift certificate says, I want to give you a SAFE treat!
Allergy Related Items
If your friend has a life threatening allergy, she or he should wear medical alert jewelry. There are lots of styles to chose from these days, and a good range of prices. This is a very thoughtful gift, which will require consultation with your friend in case there are additional medical issues to be listed. Mine says:
- SEVERE CORN Allergy
- NO Dextrose/Glucose IV
- NO Powdered Gloves
- Check INACTIVE ingredients in Meds
MedicAlert Foundation products also have a number that hospitals can call to get more info about you if you are unconscious, which is good and has more sophisticated products like USB drive keychains.
These days I wear a inexpensive bracelet that is made locally so I can have several different styles and can change what I need to put on it without a major expense. If you do a search on Medical Alert Jewelry you can find a huge range of items.