An Orange County mother’s mission paid off, and it will now lead to new training that could save lives at Florida schools.
"Food allergies are on the rise,” Sherry Isler told WESH 2. “There’s an average of two kids in every single classroom with food allergies, so there's no escaping it.”
For her 8-year-old son Lincoln, his EpiPens could be the difference between life and death. He is severely allergic to dairy, peas, chickpeas and lentils.
"His throat starts closing up,” Isler said. “He starts sneezing and coughing cause that's his body's way of trying to keep his throat open, and so he struggles to breathe."
Isler has been on a mission for change since Lincoln was in kindergarten.
She explained to WESH 2 that an Orange County before and after school program denied her son from attending because the staff would not be able to administer his EpiPen in the event of an anaphylactic reaction.
"She told me I know how to use EpiPens, my own daughter is anaphylactic to peanuts,” Isler said. “She's like, I can’t. We'd just call 911, and I told her that's crazy. He would be dead before an ambulance would arrive."
Isler’s Winter Park family is now celebrating Gov. Ron DeSantis signing a new law that requires training for staff in Florida public elementary and middle schools for grades K-8 on how to use emergency epinephrine. They must also be prepared to administer the EpiPens during before and after school activities.
"Hi, I'm Lincoln and I've needed an EpiPen four times to save my life," he said before a Florida Senate Committee in April.
Lincoln joined his mom and sister Liberty in Tallahassee to testify in support of Senate Bill 1514.
"This policy should not have a significant fiscal impact on schools, but it’s mostly about preventing tragedies," the bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-Orlando) said.
The bill passed unanimously in both chambers.
“To hear the response back from some of the senators,” Isler said, “it gave me such a sense of relief and confidence that somebody was listening."
From outrage to activism, Isler said she hopes the new law improves the health and safety of children across the state.
"I think it's great for teachers to be more aware about food allergies, because they can control their classroom, and they're going to be the first ones to see and recognize when a student is having an allergic reaction,” Isler said.
The new EpiPen training law takes effect on July 1.
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