Another long overdue blog post in process. I start to feel like a broken record when I continually have to share that the reason something was delayed, or I had to cancel a trip, or I bowed out of an activity I was very much looking forward to was that I am recovering from yet another flare of some sort. I may be outwardly very sick seeming in appearance. But most of the time, I am still functioning because I have to, and keeping it together the best I can. But in regards to my energy levels and symptoms, I am struggling. And that is what things have been like since November when my partner and I went to Denver and San Francisco. An absolutely whirlwind few days of travel. But it came with a price. One that I am still not quite fully recovered from it seems.
First of all, I have to say that the Food Allergy Blogger Conference FABlogCon was amazing. Jenny Sprague really outdid herself this year. And the people I met, brands I learned about, and presentations were inspiring, educational, and validating. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to attend again this year. I just regret that it has taken me this long to report back about it.
The main thing I took home from the 2017 conference was a sense of community and strength. I rarely feel understood or validated, simply because it can be so difficult to navigate the real world with food allergies. I don’t expect the level of understanding or even accommodations that we experienced during the conference when I go back into the real world. But I do feel that we all deserve compassion, AND for people to at least WANT to understand. I have seen great strides, and I can tell that the more work the folks who were at the conference do, the better things out there in real life will be. I was incredibly impressed with so much of what I heard. There are some determined and resourceful humans out there fighting for this cause, and I am thrilled to have connected with all of them at FABlogCon. Here are some of the photos of the vendor fair, conference, and social events that we snapped during our brief adventure in Denver. I am certain there are more photos floating around that I hope to share at a later time. But for now at least I can look back with such a sense of pride and comfort knowing what an incredible group of people I have in my corner. If you are considering attending a conference in 2018, and have any interest, personal experience, or compassion for food allergies, you should absolutely attend.
FEUD with FOOD 