Jack Littauer's Story

By the time Jack Littauer was four, he had already been rushed to the hospital four times for allergic reactions to food, once landing in the intensive care unit.

“It was absolute terror. He started wheezing, and he passed out,” recalls mother Kristy Littauer.

Kristy and her husband, Fred, brought their son Jack to National Jewish Health to piece together the puzzle of how to keep him safe around food. By the time they left, the Littauers felt like a cloud had been lifted.

“There’s something about going into a hospital and seeing your son with IVs in his arms and he’s not moving...there’s no way to describe what that feels like," said Jack’s father.

A 10-day visit to the interdisciplinary Pediatric Day Program at National Jewish Health helped the Littauers definitively identify what Jack was and was not allergic to, restoring several previously eliminated foods from his diet.

Staff at National Jewish Health also helped Jack’s asthma and taught the family how better to manage and cope with his food allergies. He has not had a serious reaction since.

“National Jewish Health changes lives. It certainly changed ours,” remarks Jack's mom.

Learn more about the Pediatric Food Allergy Program.
Infographic: New Recommendations to Prevent Food Allergies.