Betsy Pyefinch

Name: Betsy Pyefinch

Conditions: Nut allergy; requires an epipen | Diagnosed at 6 y/o

Wears: Children's Classic Stainless Steel Bracelet

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Betsy receives funded MedicAlert membership until her 10th Birthday through the Early Start Programme. This is a Lions Club International project, with MedicAlert providing £1 for every £2 raised by Lions Clubs around the UK, to increase the number of children who can be supported. If you would like to find out more or to fill in an application form for your child, please click below.

EARLY START PROGRAMME

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“I thought it was a great idea. The more people who know what is wrong, the quicker you can get the help you need."

About a year ago, mum Andrea decided to buy some sugared almonds for the family to enjoy. At the time, no one had any idea that Betsy is allergic to nuts. But, when Betsy tried the sweet treat for the first time in her life she promptly told her mum that she didn’t like it and that her tummy hurt. It was when Betsy was sick that Andrea realised something really was wrong and promptly went to see a doctor.

After a few months of tests and waiting for the results, Betsy was diagnosed with an allergy to nuts when consumed. She is particularly allergic to pecans and walnuts, but almonds, cashews and hazelnuts are also problematic. Fortunately Betsy and her family now know to avoid anything with nuts in but also to keep an epipen to hand just in case. 

Andrea and Darren discovered MedicAlert when a friend of theirs recommended us to them and wanted to make sure their little girl was as protected as possible. For them, wearing a medical ID that is connected to her medical records means that Betsy will always have a reliable backup if she ever needs it. 

Thankfully, because of Andrea’s swift action and all her family, friends and school teachers looking out for her, Betsy has never needed to use her epipen or be rushed to hospital. In fact, Betsy takes it all in her stride. She wears her ID every day, knows what to do if she needs help and uses her keen sense of smell to detect any nearby nuts!

Fun fact: Betsy has developed such a strong sense of awareness when it comes to nuts, she can very quickly smell them. It’s like she has a supersense (a super-scents?)!

The Early Start Programme (ESP) funds a child’s membership until their 10th birthday as well as a piece of medical ID jewellery and so provides peace of mind to the child and their family if they are financially unable to access our services otherwise. Thanks to the donations of the Lions Clubs throughout the UK, Betsy is one of hundreds of families who have benefitted from the programme. Alongside the generosity of the Lions Clubs, The MedicAlert Foundation contributes £1 for every £2 donation received from a Lions Club.

As a non-profit charity, MedicAlert ensures that all donations are spent on supporting charitable aims which includes membership for children and vulnerable people, as well as educational resources for medical professionals.

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