My Kids Food Allergies - May 7th 2018

Red Sneakers for Oakley School Days: Bringing Food Allergy Awareness to Schools

"On November 26, 2016, 11-year-old Oakley Debbs passed away following a severe allergic reaction. While taking a break from playing with his sister and cousins, Oakley had eaten some cake, unaware that it contained traces of walnut. Oakley’s reaction was not immediate and while he appeared okay on the outside, that was not the case for what was going on inside of his body. An hour and a half after eating the cake, Oakley was taken to a local hospital by ambulance and later passed away.

Oakley’s favorite things were soccer and red sneakers. Oakley’s mother, Merrill Debbs, has used the latter to turn his death into a positive thing. Along with her husband, Robert, she founded the Red Sneakers for Oakley Foundation(RSFO), its mission to create educational community outreach programs, help implement precautionary protocols and advocate for food allergy awareness. autionary protocols and advocacy"