Food Allergy and Your Kiddo

Wally the Seafood-Allergic Walrus, Read by Dr. Alice Hoyt

• Alice Hoyt, MD

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"Wally the Seafood-Allergic Walrus" is a fun children's story for children, parents, and educators. The story emphasizes the importance of understanding and managing food allergies, being prepared with necessary medications like an "EpiFriend," and displaying empathy in emergency situations. It also highlights the significance of forgiveness and friendship, demonstrating that these values can turn even the most difficult circumstances into opportunities for growth and understanding.

Resources

📖 Navigating Food Allergies: A Parent’s Guide to Care, Coverage, and Confidence by Dr. Alice Hoyt - preorder from Amazon and more

For Parents ➡️ Office Hours for Parents

For Providers ➡️ Food Allergy Pediatric Hub

For Schools ➡️ Code Ana

For Potential Patients ➡️ Hoyt Institute of Food Allergy

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This podcast is the official podcast of the Hoyt Institute of Food Allergy. Information on, within, and associated with this site and Food Allergy and Your Kiddo is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice.

SPEAKER_00:

Hello and welcome to Food Allergy in Your Kiddo. I'm your host, Dr. Alice Hoyt, joining you for a special episode today where I'm going to read my book, Wally, the Seafood Allergic Walrus. I wrote this story when I was in training to be an allergist, and I was doing fellowship at University of Virginia, Wahoo Wa, and going into schools talking about food allergies. And I wanted a great way to communicate with younger kids about food allergies in a way that was still serious, but a nice, fun story, and really a story that empowered all children and encouraged them to be a good friend to all. So I hope you enjoy this story. I will encourage you as a food allergy parent to listen to the reading and then share it with your kiddos. Also share it with your friends so that they can share the story with their kiddos who might not have food allergies to help them understand that these can be scary situations. But if we look out for each other, that we can help everybody be safe and be healthy and be well and be a good friend to all. So I hope you enjoy the story. If you're listening on audio podcast, definitely check out the YouTube because we'll have the images of the book, the beautiful, amazing illustrations by the amazing illustrator Kirsty Oxley. Um and please enjoy the book, Wally the Seafood Allergic Walrus, written by Dr. Alice Hoyt and illustrated by Kirsty Oxley. Read by me, Dr. Alice Hoyt. Wally is a walrus and he lives at the North Pole. He loves to play in the cold water and dive off icebergs as he swims with his friends. He also loves going to school at North Pole Academy. One day, Wally was at school eating lunch in the cafeteria with his friends. Now, there's something I didn't tell you about Wally. He is allergic to seafood. The last time he ate seafood, he developed a rash and his lips swelled, he even had an upset tummy. He was treated with a medicine that made him feel much better. That medicine is called his epifriend. Wally avoids seafood and carries his epifriend with him wherever he goes in case he accidentally eats seafood and has an allergic reaction. Back to Wally at school. Wallie was sitting with his friends Annie the Sea Anemone and Nate the Narwhal when a frenzy of sharks, known by students as the bullies of North Pole Academy, swam up to their table with their own lunches. Hey Wallie, Sarah the Shark exclaimed. Wallie was startled and fell out of his seat. As Annie helped Wallie get up, Sarah took Annie's seat. Sarah set her seafood soup next to Wallie's seaweed soup and she said How's your seaweed soup, Wallie? It's actually quite tasty, Wallie said as he got back up. Sarah smelled Wallie's soup and said Pew That's stinky. Let's get out of here to her friends. She put the lid on the soup and got up from the table, taking a cup of soup with her to the next table over. Don't worry about them, Nate said. Yeah, Wallie, they're just bullies, said Annie. Then Wallie picked up his spoon and took a big spoonful of soup into his mouth. When Wallie tasted the soup, he realized that it wasn't seaweed, it was seafood. Wallie started feeling badly. His skin started itching, his lips began to swell, and his tummy felt very sick. Then he started having trouble breathing. Annie and Nate were stunned, and Sarah saw there was a problem. Sarah swam into action. She told Annie to go get the nearest teacher, and she told Nate to make sure the other students in the lunchroom didn't crowd Wallie. Sarah then helped Wallie lay down on the floor. Wallie whispered to Sarah, get my Epifriend. Sarah looked in Wallie's book bag and found his epifriend. Just then the North Pole Academy's school nurse arrived. Nurse Pam the polar bear asked, What happened, Sarah? Sarah replied, I accidentally left my seafood soup at Wallie's table and he ate some, and he is allergic to seafood. Sarah then handed Nurse Pam the EpiFriend. Nurse Pam knew this was a severe allergic reaction and that Wallie needed the Epifriend. She held the Epifriend in her right paw and removed the safety cap with her left paw. She then pressed the Epifriend against Wallie's outer leg and held the Epifriend there for a few seconds. Wallie quickly began feeling better. Wallie, Nurse Pam said soothingly, I'm calling nine hundred one so you can be seen at North Pole Emergency Room by nice doctors and nurses, and I'm going to call your parents. She placed the used Epi friend in a baggie so it could go with Wallie to the hospital. This way the emergency room doctor could see what medicine Wallie had received. Thank you, nurse Pam, said Wallie, already looking better. Wallie, I'm so sorry I teased you and accidentally swapped our soup cups, said Sarah. Sara, Wallie said, I forgive you for teasing me, and I know you didn't mean to leave your soup. Accidents happen, and I'm grateful that you saw I needed help and helped me. Wallie was seen in the North Pole emergency room and went home feeling well that same day. The Epifriend had worked very well. And Wally and Sarah have been great friends ever since. The End. I hope you enjoyed this reading of Wally the Seafood Allergic Walrus. It's a wonderful story about truly being a friend to all. Thanks so much for tuning in. Remember, I'm an allergist, but I'm not your allergist. So talk with your allergist about what you learned today. Like, subscribe, share this with your friends, and go to FoodAlergy in your kiddo.com where you can join our newsletter. God bless you and God bless your family.