Pathfinder Leads The Way

This is just the story I needed to read tonight. After our daughter's anaphylactic reaction this week and today's unfortunate incident I needed a feel-good story. I needed to read something that would remind me of the many, many people out there who are focused on helping our daughter. I found solace in the story of David Dockendorf, principal of Pathfinder K-8 school in Seattle.

Typically when parents of allergic children push for better anaphylactic policy or (God forbid!) a peanut ban, they are met with resistance. Not the case at Pathfinder! Machel Spence has a second grade daughter in the school and when she raised concerns about the schools level of preparedness for an anaphylactic emergency, this is the response she received:

"The principal, David Dockendorf, was very quick to respond and after their meeting was completed with the nurse and staff he sat down with me and shared his list of steps the school was going to take to make my daughter's school environment a safer one. The school nurse, Terri Helm-Remund, was also very responsive to my concerns and within days there were signs all over the school, a separate nut-free table in the lunch room for my daughter and her friends who bring nut free lunches and an article sent home to all Pathfinder parents to read asking them to avoid peanut products for snacks in the classroom as well as bake sales."

This is great. Though I do not see mention of the school purchasing EpiPens, providing teachers with emergency response training or educating students that there are several allergens that can create a fatal allergic reaction, I will take comfort in the fact that Dockendorf was so responsive and caring in his approach.

It Takes A Village and clearly Pathfinder is showing the way!