Meet this month's Legendairy Little, Zach

Each month, one family with a medically complex baby or child will be selected to receive a portion of the profits from Legendairy Milk as part of the new program, Legendairy Littles.

The first month we have selected to focus on FPIES. According to the FPIES Foundation, Food Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES) is a type of food allergy that affects the GI tract. Classic symptoms of FPIES include excessive vomiting, diarrhea, pale skin, dehydration, changes to blood pressure and body temperature, and can quickly progress to shock. Unlike traditional food allergies, there are no tests or treatment for FPIES. The only way to determine if a food is safe to consume is to try it and wait for a potential reaction.

Zach Vander Grift is an 18 month old who is battling FPIES and has experienced many of the common symptoms of FPIES as his family has worked to find a food that is safe for him to eat. Until his FPIES diagnosis, he had many tests and hospital admittances to determine why he was getting sick from breast milk and formula. Since getting his FPIES diagnosis, he has spent nearly a year testing a single food at a time, reacting to that food, and then letting his stomach heal. Currently, Zach has reacted to 17 different foods plus many formulas. He has been able to grow and develop because of his mom’s limited diet of pumped breastmilk. Zach’s mom has eliminated dairy, soy, egg, gluten, nuts, carrots, oats, and rice from her diet in order for her milk to be safe for Zach to drink. The family is ecstatic to announce that Zach has found his first safe food. He is able to eat organic, grass and barley fed, pasture raised, hormone free beef from a local farm. He now has to eat this beef daily to avoid the risk of beginning to react to it.

During the month of April, a portion of Legendairy Milk’s profits will be donated to Zach’s family to assist them with the purchase of beef. If you would like to view their story directly, their page can be found at https://www.youcaring.com/zachvandergrift-734469. If you would like to nominate your family for the Legendairy Littles program, please email us at littles@legendairymilk.com.

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