No Peanuts and Cracker Jack
Kids With Food Allergies Get Rare Chance to See a Ballgame
Mount Airy's Nick Bloch, who is allergic to peanuts, watches a Washington Nationals game from a special peanut-free seating area. Beside him is his mom, Chris.
(Photos By John Mcdonnell -- The Washington Post; "No Peanuts, Please" Patch Courtesy Jeeto.com)
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Jacob Blitz is a big Nationals fan. But until recently the Bethesda 9-year-old had never attended a Major League Baseball game.
Why? Because he could die if he gets too close to peanuts.
For the 1.5 million Americans like Jacob who have peanut allergies, touching a peanut could give them a rash. Eating or smelling one could cause their airways to close, preventing them from breathing.
Given what they have to watch out for, it was a huge deal last month when Jacob and more than a dozen other kids with peanut allergies took in a Nats game from a peanut-free auxiliary press box at RFK Stadium.
Because of their allergies, many of the kids were seeing a game in person for the first time.
As Jacob's dad noted, peanuts are an "important part of the culture of baseball . . . 'Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack' " is part of baseball's anthem. But the Nats made sure there wasn't a peanut or Cracker Jack anywhere near these kids.
The team gave the seating area a thorough cleaning before the game and let the families use a special elevator so they didn't have to walk through the stadium. They also were allowed to bring their own food.
But even with those precautions, Jacob noticed he had hives later that day. His family still isn't sure when he was exposed to peanuts, but it didn't affect his joy that he got to attend the game. The hives went away in a few days.
Dusty Mahmot, 12, who was at the game with Jacob, described a bad allergic reaction he had once at a minor league game. He dropped a ball he had brought with him and didn't see it roll through peanut shells. Peanut dust got on his face, which began to swell. He took some medicine to stop the reaction.
Dusty and the others said they've been teased by kids who don't understand how serious the condition is. It's not like seasonal allergies, where you sneeze and your eyes get puffy.
Halloween can be tricky for kids with food allergies. Candy that doesn't have peanuts could come from a factory that uses them in other products.
Restaurants also can be a problem. Many kitchens use peanut oil, and specks of it or peanut dust can land on other dishes.
Nick Bloch, 6, of Mount Airy sometimes eats a plain hamburger patty at a Burger King where the staff knows about his allergies. The only other time he eats out is on vacations to Disney World, which has a system for hosting visitors with food allergies.
Some schools have peanut-free tables in their cafeterias.
Jacob wants people to know that kids with food allergies are like any other kids: "They just can't eat a certain food. It's not like they're a different species."
-- Amy Orndorff
