National FPIES Day 2016

The one day of the year a pie to the face is a GOOD thing!

Got your attention? Good! Because May 4^th is National FPIES Day! We wanted to share a few facts about FPIES and tell you about National FPIES Day, ways that you can get involved, and some organizations that help to raise awareness and support for FPIES.

FPIES

FPIES stands for Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome. This is a rare form of food allergy that is gaining awareness. FPIES affects infants and young children primarily, can take a long time to be recognized and diagnosed, and can mean very significant dietary restrictions. Want more details?

Check out: FPIES –What Who When Which Why and How?
Visit:
FPIES.org

National FPIES Day

What better way to raise awareness for a condition than with a dedicated day? We can’t think of one! In 2015, the United States Senate designated May 4th as National FPIES Awareness Day! This resulted from efforts from the International FPIES Association (I-FPIES, more on them below) and over 1,000 supporters.

Raising awareness of FPIES can help highlight the disorder on behalf of affected children and adults. Together, we can make diagnosis and treatment – and life in general – easier for FPIES children and families.

Every day is a good day to raise awareness about FPIES, but National FPIES Awareness Day is probably the best day. Here are some ways that you can help to raise awareness and spread the word:

Change your Facebook or Twitter profile picture to the official event logo, available from I-FPIES, the FPIES awareness ribbon:
Share your personal FPIES story, photos, and words of encouragement on social media
Use the hashtags #NationalFPIESDay and #FPIESontheRise
Donate in honor of someone you know with FPIES to an organization dedicated to creating a better tomorrow for those living with FPIES (more below)

Pies in the face for FPIES

We saved our favorite awareness-raising idea for last: Pies in the face challenge for FPIES! This genius idea came from I-FPIES, and we personally can’t wait to pie our coworkers (to help raise awareness, of course!). Here are a few highlights:

Post a video of yourself being “pied” on the I-FPIES Facebook page or using the hashtag #pieface4fpies
In your video, make sure to:

State why you are doing this: to raise money and awareness for FPIES and for National FPIES Awareness Day on May 4th.
Name who you are honoring with this challenge.
Refer to fpies.org to learn more about FPIES.

Make a donation to help fund initiatives that make a difference in the lives of FPIES patients and families.
Get family, friends and others involved! Nominate 4 more people to complete the challenge in 48 hours!

I-FPIES – The International FPIES Association

I-FPIES, founded by a mom who had a very personal experience with FPIES, is a nonprofit organization that provides education, support, and advocacy for individuals with FPIES and their families. I-FPIES partners with leaders in the medical community to develop evidence-based research, with a focus on early detection and new treatment options. Ultimately, I-FPIES represents families and medical professionals united by a common focus: finding a cause and a cure for FPIES.

The FPIES Foundation

The FPIES Foundation is a collaborative effort of several families affected by FPIES who want to help other families find their way. The FPIES Foundation is committed to providing support resource to families to make their everyday lives easier.