We have distributed bags to clinics in five states:
Some of these have been private practices while others have been university clinics including:
Through these clinics, over four hundred AGS patients have been reached.
Project Highlights
Gift Bags for Alpha-Gal Patients
Peyton Owen, Hemali Gauri, Andrea Richards, Adithya Ramesh
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Background Information
Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS) is a tick-borne allergic condition that renders the affected person allergic to anything containing the sugar galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, found in all mammalian products and some outliers (NIH 2022). Most patients are allergic to mammalian meat, but many are also allergic to:
Many AGS patients leave the doctor’s office with a diagnosis of which they know very little. They often do not understand the extent of their allergies or what resources to turn to for help in managing them. Also, 78% of healthcare providers know little or nothing about AGS (CDC 2023), meaning that their doctors are rarely knowledgeable enough about the allergy to provide assistance to them. This creates a need for patients to have access to reliable information immediately post-diagnosis.
Project Objectives
We work with K12Allergies, a 501(c)(3) led by high school and college students, to partner with doctors, clinics, nonprofits, and businesses to provide bags with snacks, tools, and resources to patients who are newly diagnosed with AGS or are receiving treatment at clinics nationwide. After acquiring the snacks, brochures, and materials, we ship them to a volunteer who lives near a participating clinic, who then assembles the bags and delivers them to the clinics. Then they are distributed to patients by their providers.
Benefit to the Food Allergy Community
Conclusion & Future Directions
Acknowledgements
Now, patients who receive these bags have many of the resources they need to safely begin managing their allergy. Instead of discovering helpful resources days, weeks, months, or even years into their AGS journey, they are able to access them immediately. This may reduce risks of severe allergic reactions, anaphylaxis, or even death. A beneficial byproduct of this project is that we are able to put AGS on healthcare providers’ radars when we contact them about this project. More awareness equals better education, and therefore better healthcare.
We hope to continue to expand this project by involving more clinics, donors, and volunteers. We will do this by building more relationships with clinics and expanding and diversifying our resources. Geographically, we hope to expand to more states where AGS is currently prevalent and expanding.
Many thanks to the following organizations for making this project possible:
Clinics:
Allergy and Asthma Clinic of Northwest Arkansas; Primary Care Associates of Maryland; UNC Health; UVA Health Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology; Vanderbilt Allergy, Asthma, and Sinus Program; Vanderbilt Children’s Allergy and Immunology
Businesses:
Abe’s Muffins; Equal Eats; Insect Shield; Pill Clarity; That’s It; Undercover Snacks; VEGOBEARS; Vermont Nut Free
Nonprofits:
Alpha Gal Alliance; K12Allergies; Red Sneakers for Oakley; Two Alpha Gals
Supported by
If you are a medical provider, business, nonprofit, or volunteer who is interested in getting involved, please scan this QR code: