POCHA of Will County is not a professional or medical organization. It is a group of parents sharing information and supporting each other. The discussions, meeting minutes, handouts, speakers, agendas, and other products of this group do not constitute medical and/or legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Always discuss individual health/medical concerns with a qualified personal physician.
 

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Visitors since 9/1/06:

Welcome to POCHA of Will County
 

Safeguarding Kids Who Have Food Allergies Mary Anne Garrow of Sheridan, Ill., and grandson Thomas Majka, 5, of Plainfield take in First Lady Patricia Blagojevich's announcement Monday in Chicago of a new food-allergy awareness effort, Ask Before You Eat. Thomas has food allergies. (Tribune photo by Nancy Stone / May 12, 2008)

** IMPORTANT NOTICE**
Wednesday, 03/27/08:
95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB5338 - Illinois School Food Allergy Policy for all IL Schools

Update 08/31/08:
I am excited to inform you that Governor Blagojevich is working to protect kids with food allergies by improving SB 2685. The Governor's amendment uses the same language as HB 5338, a bill sponsored by Representative Lindner and Senator Garrett that passed unanimously in the Senate and overwhelmingly in the House, but was stalled due to procedural language added in the House.

Families and parents of children affected by food allergies need to: visit, call or email state representatives and senators to ask them to accept the Governor's changes. The next time legislators are back in Springfield they need to take action on this bill. Legislators need to hear from families who understand the importance of this legislation to ensure that it becomes law.

I will keep you posted if I hear that the legislators are heading to Springfield , until then, make sure they know this bill is a priority for our families. SB 2685 now goes back to the General Assembly during the November Veto Session so that both the Senate and House can vote on whether to accept the Governor's Amendatory Veto. We will be working closely with our legislators to seek their support. Please view SB2685.

Please sign our petition TODAY and support HB5338
Please view the bill here

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Introduction
Hello, my name is Eleanor Garrow-Majka, and I live in Will County with my two children. My son was diagnosed with life-threatening food allergies at 19 months of age; he also suffers from asthma and environmental allergies, diagnosed two years later, along with eosinophilic esophagitis. I have worked in healthcare for over 14 years and have a degree in Healthcare Administration and am currently working on a Masters in Business Administration. I have been home with my children on and off for the past 5 years.
 

Being a parent of a child with life-threatening food allergies and with the Plainfield area “booming” and no support group near by, I decided to be the Founder of POCHA of Will County, along with my fellow co-founder, Dr. Jonette Belicena. We are affiliated and physician supported with Children’s Memorial Hospital, Department of Allergy & Immunology in Chicago. Dr. Jennifer Kim at Children’s Memorial in the Department of Allergy is our Medical Advisor. Plainfield alone now has 3 high schools, 6 middle schools, and 14 elementary schools. The Referendum passed in April 2006 and there will now be a 4th high school (opens Fall 2008) built along with 2 middle schools, and 6 elementary schools.

As a former employee of Children’s Memorial Hospital and now a Children’s Memorial Allergy parent of a patient, I cannot express in words what a wonderful facility Children’s Memorial is. You have to experience the environment yourself to realize what a magnificent place it is.

Dr. Jonette Belicena of Orland Park and her husband, Brian Misiunas, are the parents of two children with food allergies. Dr. Belicena is not only a brilliant pediatrician, but she is also a wonderful resource for the food allergies. Dr. Belicena is in practice with G&L Alcala Pediatrics in Joliet on Springfield Avenue. Her husband, Brian, is a Corporate Accountant.

As of August 2008, I have taken on the new role of Director of Outreach Services and Project Management with Allergy and Asthma Network - Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) in Fairfax, VA. I have relocated to VA, but will still be involved with POCHA maintaining the website and informational emails. My new role at AANMA will be managing the Outreach Service Coordinator (OSC) Volunteer Program as well as other projects along with writing the food allergy columns for AANMA's 12 publications each year and their website.

Together, we invite you to join POCHA of Will County and hope to help you with any needs that you may have. Please contact Eleanor Garrow-Majka through our contact us page for further information or any questions. Thank you.

Let Oprah Hear Us!
Oprah is looking for new topics for her show and we have a great one for her - Food Allergies! She is looking for input through the “Ask Dr Oz about your children's health!” section on her web site.  We need your help to ensure that she understands the extent of the food allergy issue. It is important that all the “Dr. Oz health questions” are submitted within a few days of each other. Hopefully the volume of questions on food allergies will demonstrate that there is enough interest to warrant a show on food allergies.  Find more information here.