In 2017, 3-year-old Elijah Silvera tragically died after having an anaphylactic reaction at his child care facility in New York state. Although the facility had documentation of his life-threatening dairy allergy and additional allergies, he was fed a grilled cheese sandwich. The facility then failed to follow emergency protocols to treat anaphylaxis. In response, his parents, Thomas Silvera and Dina Hawthorne-Silvera, co-founded the non-profit Elijah-Alavi Foundation.
The foundation’s mission is to raise awareness about the severity of food allergies and to advocate for better anaphylaxis education and training. A critical aspect of the foundation’s work involves helping US states pass and implement legislation known as “Elijah’s Law.” These state-level regulations require child care facilities to establish comprehensive policies and procedures to prevent, recognize, and respond to life-threatening food allergies and anaphylaxis. Elijah’s Laws have been passed in New York, Illinois, Virginia, Maryland and California. Additional foundation projects are described in the article.