Food allergy nightmare at Neverland Club

[DisneyFans4]

It is apparent the staff is not well trained to handle children with food allergies or any type of allergy. I myself have a child, well he's 19 now but still is allergic, but had a severe peanut allergy. I work as an aide at an elementary school and we have so many children with allergies that we have them sit at a separate table so there is no chance for them to get near another child's lunch.

Disney staff should be better trained because some children with allergies are life threatening!!!

 

[LaurenO]

I didn't mean to come off as being judgmental, however, I think that in a situation where one is far from home and their children's doctors, certain precautions should be taken, such as don't leave your kid at a Disney day care center. Obviously the CMs working at the day care center are going to be very busy and probably not going to focus as much as they should on a kid with food allergies. Didn't they call the OP's daughter by the wrong name and say something about a non- existant sibling? Would you want to leave your child with a food allergy with these people?

I think taking my post and then alluding that I think the OP should lock their kid up in a room for the rest of their life is ridiculous. We should be able to have opinions on topics such as this on DIS without being attacked.

Anyways, I'm glad your daughter was fine and you were able to get her the medication. I'm in the health care field, and these kinds of things worry me.

 

[Moonpie]

I'm so sorry that this happened to you and your daughter. It must have been so upsetting. And I thought you did a great job talking to the club management, and asking for some safety changes. I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I'm sorry the OP has to go throug scary experiences like this. I do feel that the mom, as she admits, was too complacent. Mostly for not carrying the right meds. In a strange place, you have to be prepared at all times, even if it sucks to have to carry the right thing. It was her job to understand that Dinsey employees can't give meds. Teachers can't give meds either. Lesson learned - assume ALL employees CAN'T give meds, unless you have proof otherwise. Now that she knows Disney policy and procedure, it is actually much safer to go return than to go somewhere else.

If there's one thing she should be prepped for, it's that not all schools have full time nurses. The reality of life is that parents must be proactive, and prepared. I'm not really blaming mom, just saying a parent of child with allergies must be proactive for this child at all times if she is to be safe.

Life, is a gamble for everyone. Yes, you take chances, but only when the gamble is worthwhile. Maybe it was in this case, maybe it wasn't. The child lived, soI guess it was okay in the end.

Dairy shows up all the time unexpectedly. Katie is a child, plain and simple. While she may be smart enough to attempt to avoid milk - what kid would want to have a reaction while at WDW? She is almost certainly not experienced enough to handle the situations she may be confronted with. She wasn't experienced enough to check that it was her glass. She wasn't experienced enough to request that her own cup be marked. I have a friend, who as an adult, always marks his cup.
Mistakes happen. DH can't tolerate peppers well. not an allergy, but they don't agree with him. I can't ellyou how many times servers have made mistakes or don't know what he's talking about when he says no bell peppers. That's just life.

 

[Wendy1953]

I'm so sorry for your misfortune, but thank you for posting it so that others in the same "boat" can make sure it doesn't happen to their loved ones! I'm very happy that Katie (aka Barbara) is fine now!

As for the OP who thinks you shouldn't have left her side.....get real...millions of people have allergies and there is no need for the "plastic bubble"....just have to be careful and make sure that everyone in charge of your allergic child (or senile adult) knows of the allergy, has permission to administer the drug to help them in an emergency...or the right to get medical attention immediately.

Hoping your next WDW trip is less eventful, and filled with lots of Pixie Dust!!!

 

[Mad4Dizne]

Many people don't know the difference between an allergy to milk and lactose intolerance. Also, they don't know the differing severity of reaction, I think you mentioned the staff member saying she had a stomache ache.... Thank goodness your daughter is ok; but the staff should get fired, if they cannot address an allergic reaction. The person you spoke to should have told you, if he was unable to administer the OTC med, and at the very least should of called EMS.....very disappointing in their care of your daughter. I hope it does alert other parents to the limitations of these "clubs" and hopefully prevent any further harm to any other child with allergies. If so many public schools can get it right and care for kids with allergies...why can't they???

 

[Sweetpeasmum]

For the record, Katie ie 6 years old. She knows that sh cannot eat anythng with milk, casein, or whey. She never shares food with friends, and carries her own lunch.She was with me when I went over what was safe for her to order for dinner with the staff, and she ordered what was safe. I did not just drop her off with a , by the way, she has an allergy. I called the Neverland club 10 days in advance to let them know about the allergy. It ws noted on the reservation, and I told them at check in that she had the dairy allergy, and what food we knew were safe. She had her medic alert bracelet on, and was wearing the WDW red bracelet with her allergy listed. She was also wear the nametag from the club as well as her guest of honor badge.

We have struggled to find a balance between protecting her from this allergy and preparing her or the real world. This trip has been the ONLY time she has had an exposure since she was diagnosed at 2 1/2. This allergy is part of her life. I need to teach her how to cope with it because she cannot be with me 24/7. She asks questions at restaurants, and I have taught her to read and look for the words milk, casein, and whey on labels. She hands over her Halloween candy, misses desserts at most places and treats at school without complaint. Because of this incidence we are also having to teach her that she can't trust others to follow through. For the rest of the trip, she kept asking if I was sure there was no milk in her food. Her school is very serious about allergies, and they will administer her meds if necessary. Fortunately, we have not had any issues at school. I m trying to raise a well adjusted, informed, and independent child.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Thank you for posting your experience. I'm glad your DD is ok. We will be traveling with a family in 07 whose child has a severe peanut allergy - to WDW and on DCL. I've read a lot of good reports about food allergies here, but I believe this is the first I've seen where there was a problem. Nice to hear, because it keeps you on your guard.

It sounds like you and your DD are handling her food allergy very well on an everyday basis. Don't beat yourself up over this one incident which happened on vacation - none of us are perfect, and hindsight is 20/20.

 

[Amy&Dan]

OP you don't need to explain or justify. Obviously nobody on this board, or anywhere else for that matter, has more of a concern for the well being of your child than you do! This was an unfortunate incident that was not your fault. Monday morning quarterbacks probably have no idea the amount of precaution you and your daughter must take on a daily basis and that even with that amount of diligence problems can occur. The most important thing is that your daughter is okay and that some other parent of a child with similar allergies has been alerted and educated.

 

[Cool-Beans]

We just returned from a very nice trip in the world. On the whole my daughter's dairy allergy was addressed appropritely. There were two exceptions. We were in the Patasserie (SP) in France. I asked if the strawberry smoothie contained milk or dairy. They checked and said it was fine. Well, it wasn't. A dose of benedryl, and DD was fine. I did tell the manager, and he said it must have been a cross contamination issue. He would look into it.

Where we really ran into trouble was the Neverland Club. We had left Katie there in the past without issue. They put the allergy wristband on her.

I explained her allergy. It is only an ingestion allergy. The gentleman reassured me that they deal with allergies all the time, and she would be fine. He gave me my beeper, and DMother and I head off to Spoodles.

Just as our entrees are served, my pager goes off. I call, and they ask if I am Barb's mother. No I am Katie's mother. He backtracks a bit and says that Katie took a sip out of someone elses glass, and drank some chocolate milk. I said I was on the way and to give her 25mg of benedryl. You can get it from the gift shop. He said ok.

Spoodles gets our meals packaged and bill paid within 3 minutes. DD ask the valet at the Boardwalk to get a cab asap. He says he would drive us to the Poly himself. We were there withing 15 minutes.

I get there, and again they called her Barbara. The woman ws also talking about how she was so good with her little sister. Katie is an only child.

They then said that when they had placed their orders for dinner that Katie had ordered lemonade. The drinks come out in the park cups, ad only 1/2 filled, so you can't see what is inside them.

Katie knows better than to eat or drink anyone else's food. She is very careful, but thought her drink was lemonade I was told they couldn't administer the benedryl, but Katie was only complaining of an uppet stomach.

Katie then comes out. I give her the benedryl immediately. I tell them that we are checking out, and they said there would be no charge. I take Katie over to a bench to find out what happened from her.

Within a few minutes she starts coughing. I had my epipen with me, but not her inhaler. She hadn't needed it in over a year, and I had become complacent.

I head into the lobby carrying Katie saying I needed to get to ASM immediately. He told me to hail a cab, and As would reimburse me. We waited 5 minutes for the cab. He got lost. I was too focused on Katie to notice that he had missed the turn off. We ended up off property. I had to direct him to the ASM. It was a nightmare.

Katie was getting into more distress and was covered in hives. We finally arrived at ASM. DM pays the cab, I carry Katie into the lobby. I yell for someone to watch her while I run to the room for her meds.

I get back and administer her inhaler, and she is breathing better in a few minutes. I carry her into the room. She ended up covered in eczema and hives for the last two days of the trip.

I called our pediatrician, and he called in steroids for her that we had delivered. She also remains on benedryl for 72 hours. Had she imediately had the benedryl, she woud have been fine.

The manager from Poly recretion did call me the next day. He did listen to my suggestions. Clear cups, 2 person phone consent for medication administration. Better identification for allergic kids.

I also told him that had I been told they couldn't administer the benedryl, I would have had them call 911. I didn't ask for any compensation, nor was any offered. I expressed that my concern was that this not happen again because the outcome might not be as good the next time. He said that procedures would be looked at, and that discipinary actions taken. I told him that mistakes happen, and I wasn't after anyone's job. I just want to make sure that th kids are safe. that is where we left it.

In hindsight, I should have had the inhaler with me, and I should have gone to the hopital. The important thing is that Katie is ok.

I didn't tell this story to scare the parents of allergy kids. I had let my previous experiences with how wonderfully WDW handles allegies make me complacent.

I personally will never leave Katie in one of the clubs again. If you do, make sure every employee knows your child and his/her allergy before you leave. I just don't want another child to become ill.

Beth

A few tips from a nurse and a mom of a kid with a life-threatening allergy.

Benadryl will NOT prevent an anaphylactic reaction. It isn't strong enough. Anaphylaxis (which can kick in within seconds to minutes of ingesting the crap) will cause the child to die within minutes. The Epi-pen and inhaler ALWAYS need to be where the kid is, not with the mom. And even with the shot of epinephrine, the child will need to be taken to the hospital. Epi-pens just buy you time to get to the hospital, so the child doesn't die before you can get there.

When traveling, call 911 for emergencies (anaphylaxis totally qualifies! ) Don't bother trying to find the nearest hospital...you could get lost and then your child could die.

When leaving your child with people you don't know, always find out if there is someone there who is trained to use an Epi-pen and inhaler. Talk to them and make sure you're comfortable with their ability to use it. If there isn't such a person, don't leave your child there.

And never, EVER trust people in restaurants to tell you the truth. It is all good and well to tell them about the allergy and ask them to be careful...but DON'T COUNT ON IT!!!! They lie. They lie all the time. (But, they don't lie as much as they used to.) Always assume they might be lying and be prepared to deal with it if your child has a reaction.

Trusting others is kind and nice, but when it is your child's life you can't take the risk. Even if they aren't lying, mistakes can happen.

I'm guessing from the info you provided that, so far, your child hasn't had an anaphylactic reaction. But now that she's had the hives, it could be worse next time. Get a good allergy/asthma specialist to help you with what might come.

So, welcome to the club and good luck with being the mom of a life-threatening allergy kid! It isn't for the naive or for wusses, either.

 

[Dina]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm so glad you're daughter is ok. As a mom of a son with a peanut allergy, reading this was helpful-- I'm pretty sure I won't use these clubs for my kids. I did leave them at the club at Saratoga springs while we were buying our DVC, but they were the only kids in there, food wasn't served, and we were in the building, so I felt ok about it. My husband wanted to use the kids clubs in the future, I didn't think it was a good idea, now I feel better about my decision. Thanks for sharing.

 

[BabyMo]

I find this story to be extremely troubling. I worked in a daycare center for a couple of years, and we could administer meds, but only with parental permission and a note from the dr if it was over the counter stuff. I have no idea why the CM would tell you that he could give your daughter the meds if he could not. I understand why he could not, but I definitely emphathize with your frustration when you discovered that your daughter was not given the meds that you thought she was going to be given.

Also, if your daughter was wearing an allergy bracelet, why was her drink not checked before it was given to her?

Because of my experience/knowledge, I am surprised that some of the basic policies are not being enforced .

The important thing is that your daughter is all right. My first baby is due in April, so we have several years before she can do programs like Neverland Club, but it will be hard not to think about your story when making arrangements in the future.

 

[DCDisney]

I'm so sorry! I'm also a food allergy person and there is a new benadryl product that are quick dissolve strips (like the listerine strips) that instantly melt on the tongue. It is so much easier carrying that little plastic case of those with me rather than the big benadryl bottle but they are also in little individual plastic wrappers inside the box which makes it super easy to just stick in a kids pocket or tape to a registration form for an activity just in case of emergency.

Yvonne

 

[RSoxFan]

I'm so sorry this happened to your daughter, and I'm so glad she's okay!

Both my brother and I have anaphylaxis to tree nuts and shellfish, and it's very hard to travel. I remember being away and going to a restaurant with a make-your-own-sundae bar. When we went up to get one, my mom found two walnuts in the hot fudge sauce. No sundaes for us that night! My parents used to make it up to us with lots of coffee. We were the only 11 year olds to get coffee.

Kids still have to live their lives though. The hardest for me was college. I had more reactions in the four years of college than the rest of my life put together. But you can't lock kids up in glass boxes.

 

[marivaid]

What's shocking to me in your story is that apparently they didnt even know who your daughter was.Calling her by the wrong name and referring to a non-existing sister... Your child did nothing wrong,she ordered the safe things,she had her allergy bracelet on and whoever was in charge apparently confused her with another kid. Yours had a bad enough reaction but with some other allergies, like peanuts, it could have been a real tragedy.
JMO but if they dont have staff that is qualified to handle children with severe allergies they shouldnt be accepting the responsibility for these kids.
In a way it's a good thing they are not allowed to medicate the kids,what if they gave it to the wrong child because they cant keep the names straight?

Glad to know your daughter is okay.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

Of course this mother needs to be careful, but wasn't the real problem that the CM gave Katie milk instead of lemonade? If that hadn't happened there would have been no reaction and no need for medical care. (And then to get out of taking the blame, be a coward and acuse Katie for drinking someone else's chocolate milk? I don't think so.) I'm really glad that Katie's ok. I'm sure that her mom is going to be less trusting of other people who take care of her daughter in the future, and I'm sorry that has to be true.

for Katie and her mom. That experience must have been terrifying.

 

[mom22boys]

We have struggled to find a balance between protecting her from this allergy and preparing her or the real world. This allergy is part of her life. I need to teach her how to cope with it because she cannot be with me 24/7. She asks questions at restaurants, and I have taught her to read and look for the words milk, casein, and whey on labels. She hands over her Halloween candy, misses desserts at most places and treats at school without complaint. Because of this incidence we are also having to teach her that she can't trust others to follow through. For the rest of the trip, she kept asking if I was sure there was no milk in her food. Her school is very serious about allergies, and they will administer her meds if necessary. Fortunately, we have not had any issues at school. I m trying to raise a well adjusted, informed, and independent child.

Substitute DS and peanuts and you have just described my life! For me it is heartbreaking. I feel awful that he has to turn over his Halloween candy, skip special birthday treats brought in by fellow classmates (even though his classrom is peanut-free we just don't take any chances), and eat at a peanut-free table at school. I feel awful that the other 20 kids in his class cannot bring in any food with peanuts in it. But the funny thing is for now DS thinks nothing of all of these things. They are just part of his life. He doesn't feel like he is missing out. He is happy and well-adjusted. He is very vigilant about his allergy. He knows how to check labels and he knows not eat someone elses food. To others reading this thread 6 might sound young to you, but when your child knows nothing else but how to monitor their food allergy 6 is not young at all.

OP, I am glad your daughter is okay. I hope she was able to enjoy the last two days of her vacation even with the hives.

 

[daisax]

In a way it's a good thing they are not allowed to medicate the kids,what if they gave it to the wrong child because they cant keep the names straight?

Or what if they had called the wrong PARENTS? How much time could have been lost?

I must say that they do sell lots of peanut products at WDW -- I had bought some toffee and was sharing it with my niece and nephew in the Dumbo line, when my sister (who is a food services manager for our school system) asked me to put them away because she's very cautious about peanuts in public.

I was happy to put it away, but I wouldn't have given it a second thought, and I'm sure thousands of other people wouldn't, either. And how could you possibly know that somebody who passed through the line 2 minutes earlier had been eating peanuts?

 

[Tosie]

Glad to hear Katie is OK. My dd is also 6, has an ingestion dairy allergy (plus peanuts and tree nuts) and I have also taught her what to read on labels, not to take food from others, etc.

IMO, you were waaaaay to lenient with the staff. "Mistakes" are not an option when it comes to the health and safety of children. Those CMs should be fired or moved to an area that doesn't involve direct contact with allergic kids and food.

Thank you for your post.

 

[TinkerbellMama]

Glad to hear Katie is OK. My dd is also 6, has an ingestion dairy allergy (plus peanuts and tree nuts) and I have also taught her what to read on labels, not to take food from others, etc.

IMO, you were waaaaay to lenient with the staff. "Mistakes" are not an option when it comes to the health and safety of children. Those CMs should be fired or moved to an area that doesn't involve direct contact with allergic kids and food.

Thank you for your post.

Gonna have to agree with the leniency part. Perhaps more training in handling food allergies is the answer, rather than simply firing/transferring those CMs. Occasionally, I get substandard service in restaurants (NOT in WDW!) after explaining in very simple terms what we cannot eat, and I make it a point to address the issue with the management. For example, I once said I could not have cheese on my salad due to a "food allergy" (I am actually not allergic, but extremely lactose intolerant), and the server brought one with cheese. When I politely pointed out that I had requested no cheese, she took the salad away and returned WITH THE SAME SALAD, minus the picked-off cheese...on top. On the bottom? Cheese. Ummm, did I NOT just explain to her that I could become ill if I ingested cheese? That really ticked me off so I called the manager the next morning (she wasn't in that night ) and complained that while I would not have had a life-threatening reaction, another guest might. I just don't understand how some people can be so cavalier with allergies. I do my part to raise awareness and educate people regarding the severity of some people's allergies, although my own are not extremely serious.