By Meg Peters
Review Staff Writer
Five-year-old Caleb Zale is proud to eat peanut butter.
The little Lake Orion boy was diagnosed with a peanut and almond allergen when he was about two, and is in the process of beating it.
He is up to 16 peanuts a day through a program he started six months ago called Oral Immunotherarpy, which regiments a daily intake of progressively higher quantities of peanut protein.
In order to successfully graduate the program, Caleb must work his way up from 1.025 mcg of peanut protein to 3,000 mg, the equivalent of 12 peanuts.
His mother, Becky Zale, said out of her four children, Caleb is the only one to have a nut allergy. His first reaction occurred at 9 months old after touching a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. A year later he was diagnosed with the allergen after touching a cracker at a wedding, his worst reaction. Last year he broke out in hives around his mouth simply by being near peanut butter M&M’s at Grandmas.
After watching the success of Caleb, Zale began introducing her youngest baby to Caleb’s leftover peanut protein, by recommendation of her pediatrician. So far, no reaction.
Zale believes the condition is special to Caleb, who reacted to the peanut butter sandwich before she could easily give him peanut products at the young age of 9 months.
After he completes the program he should be able to eat a snickers bar or peanut donut, she said.
He will still have to carry an epipen just to be sure, she said, but Zale believes the program could have saved Caleb’s life.
‘It’s well worth it.?
The next stop? conquering his almond allergy.