Oral Immunotherapy Made Halloween a Possibility For Oscar

Catie Simpson knew early on that her infant son Oscar had allergies. At first, a simple bottle of formula would cause her son to break out in hives. And as he grew, so did his allergies.

Milk, eggs, peanuts, and cashews would cause swelling or eczema, and Catie was tired of worrying.

“When I realized how many allergies he had I thought ‘we can’t live like this,’” says Simpson. “My goal was to get him allergy-free before preschool.”

Months after Oscar’s first birthday, he began OIT treatment with Dr. Stacy Silvers. Today, he is the youngest child to graduate from the Texan Allergy OIT program at 2 years old.  

“Starting OIT treatment when children are young can be extremely successful” says Dr. Silvers. “Unlike allergies to milk and eggs, most children don’t outgrow an allergy to peanuts.This process allows them to eventually become desensitized to peanuts, and avoid having a severe allergic reaction.”

Although Oscar might need additional OIT for other allergies, for now, he’s cleared a big hurdle by completing immunotherapy for peanuts, one of the most common food allergies.This year, trick or treating won’t be quite as frightful.

“The benefit outweighs the risk,” says Simpson. “The life-long freedom is life-changing.”