Food Allergy-Free Schools - Erika Kurre

A man used to taking the stage to sing, takes stage in an effort to save lives of children-- possibly yours.

Peanut allergies in children are on the rise.

The number of those diagnosed doubled from 1997 to 2002 and it continues to grow.

Country music star Trace Adkins' young daughter is one of those suffering with this allergy.

Just being in contact with certain foods could cause her to quit breathing.

Tonight, Adkins and his family are trying to make the world safer for her and other children in her shoes.

Rhonda Adkins says, "When you have a child with food allergies, every time you step out of your safe zone which is your home, you're going into a war zone."

Rhonda and Trace Adkins' daughter just finished kindergarten and is facing first grade with a severe food allergy.

Adkins says, "We were at a birthday party yesterday. We had wipees, everybody wiped their hands, everything was fine. It was a pool party. Everyone at then they jumped in the water and they must have had dairy and stuff on their bathing suits. She jumped in the water after them-- all of a sudden she had hives all over her body."

Brianna Adkins is severely allergic to dairy products, tree nuts, peanuts and egg.

Any contact-- direct or indirect-- could cause her to quit breathing within a minute.

Its a scary thought for her parents as she heads back to school soon.

Rhonda says, "Im 5 minutes from the school. What if they can't find me, what if I just don't answer my phone that time?"

An allergy like this used to be extremely rare.

Now it's becoming much more common.

More than three million children in the US suffer from life-threatening food allergies.

41 thousand of them in Tennessee.

Allergist, Dr. Dan Sanders says, "If there is a reaction, you respond to it immediately. It's a lot easier to intervene with mild symptoms than it is to reverse severe symptoms."

This past school year, the Adkins and their nanny took turns eating lunch at school with Brianna-- to help her avoid contact.

Tennessee Republican Senator Bob Corker says, "We need to make sure every school in this state and every school in this country has guidelines as to know what to do when this situation arises."

Senators Bob Corker and Republican Lamar Alexander are co-sponsoring legislation to provide guidelines for preventing exposure and teaching schools how to react to an allergic reaction..

Trace Adkins says, "These are wonderful, deserving children and they deserve a chance to go to school just like every kid."

Senator Alexander says he hopes to get such a bill passed this year.

Since peanut allergies are life-long and life-threatening, experts say eventually all schools and work places will have to be adapted as allergic children grow older.
Food Allergy-Free Schools - Erika Kurre