Joshua Mountford

Name: Joshua Mountford

Condition(s): Severe nut allergy, mild asthma, Eczema

Wears: Sports Band

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Joshua receives funded MedicAlert membership until his 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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We spoke with Joshua's mum to find out more about Joshua and why he became a MedicAlert member:

How and when was he diagnosed?

One day at home he suddenly became quite poorly, his lips started to swell, he developed hive like bumps, became slightly breathless and very tired. He fell asleep with us keeping a watchful eye over him and when he awoke two hours later all his symptoms had disappeared.

A doctor’s appointment a few days later concluded that he may have an allergy to nuts as the reaction had occurred after eating homemade couscous containing cashew nuts.

Joshua’s consultant finally gave a diagnosis that he had a nut allergy in June this year and we are now awaiting a food test to confirm which specific nuts he is allergic to.

Have you had to make changes to everyday life since his diagnosis?

The preventive measures we take are as a family, we avoid nuts at all costs and anything that may contain nut products. We are vigilant when Joshua meets new people to ensure they are aware of his allergy. If there is a chance they have been near nuts they wash their hands thoroughly before making contact with him.

On the rare occasion we go out for a meal we always check the allergens to make sure it is a nut safe menu. If in doubt we will go somewhere else or choose an alternative meal to his original choice.

At the nursery, they keep a picture of him on the wall along with all of his details and rules have been implemented to ensure no products containing nuts are held on the premises. For all school trips, everyone attending is advised not to bring nut products with them.

How did you hear about MedicAlert?

Both Joshua’s dad and I are Community First responders within our local area. The Early Start programme came to our attention when we organised and attended an awareness meeting conducted by a gentleman called John from our local Lions club.

We were already aware of medical ID jewellery and the protection it provides to the wearer, however, we hadn’t yet come across anything we thought would be suitable for Joshua. After the meeting with John, we looked further into the Early Start scheme and realised we had found the perfect thing to keep Joshua safe. We registered straight away and Joshua became a member.

Has his MedicAlert service been used to date?

He has been a member for just over a month now and thankfully we have not had any need to use the MedicAlert service yet.

All of our family and friends are fully aware and keep an eye on what they give him. Joshua understands he needs to be careful so much so that he is now starting to ask if nuts are in something before eating it.

Hopefully, with a combination of these things, we may never be in a situation where we need to use his service.

Final words…

We try our best to ensure Joshua isn’t affected by the precautions we take due to his allergy. When we ask, he says his allergy doesn't make him feel different to anyone else, which I am thankful for.

Now he has his MedicAlert membership and ID jewellery, I have peace of mind and know it’s a lifeline for him should the worst happen.

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