Richmond mom Meghan Pearsall has been an advocate for food allergy safety ever since she learned her daughter had a life-threatening peanut allergy. Like many parents in this situation, her primary focus was on safety in schools.
“Fortunately, we live in an area full of great parents, teachers and friends who do all they can to make learning safe and fun for everyone. It brought tears of gratitude to my eyes when someone told me that her child was better off for having been in the allergy class because it was an excellent opportunity to expand empathy. I really feel for parents whose children are not supported like we are in Richmond.”
Meghan Pearsall, one of Richmond's newest authors
Meghan partnered with Henrico County Public Schools and Tuckahoe Elementary School to help write the new food allergy protocol guidelines with her good friend and fellow parent to children with food allergies, Katie Morgan. Then she helped craft the protocol into a grant that won a national award for creating safer schools.
“As my scope broadened to beyond just my child’s ideal elementary school experience, I realized there was still a lot of work do. It really caught my attention when I read a study from the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network that said 69 percent of fatal food allergy reactions were between the age of 12 and 21. Obviously, a lot more attention and awareness is needed in the young adult age group. According to the study, teens were willing to take unnecessary risks to avoid being socially isolated.”
This statistic did not sit well with Meghan and the teens in the study suggested educating those around them would make the greatest impact. So, Meghan and her best friend, Carolyn Fruzzetti, decided to take on writing a young adult novel and to make food allergy part of a small but pivotal plot twist. This idea evolved into the newly released book: SUNDIAL.
“SUNDIAL is a mainstream young adult book. To change popular culture SUNDIAL had to be exhilarating and edgy. It had to have romantic tension, action and adventure to keep the reader interested. We did not want to lecture anyone so our characters promote discussion through their decisions and choices. Ultimately, SUNDIAL questions through an exciting adventure what makes a true survivor and it challenges the characters to turn adversity into advantage. Can they do it? Could you? Read SUNDIAL to find out!”
What’s next for Meghan Pearsall? “Another busy school year and finding bits of quiet time to write the sequel to SUNDIAL. The story isn’t over for my characters and I really can’t wait myself to see what is going to happen next. I have a sense where the story is going but it surprises even me! We love feedback–email us a question or a suggestion at [email protected] and we promise to answer. Hearing from readers and giving them an opportunity to influence the next story is what makes writing so much fun. We like it to be an interactive experience!”
