Jack Versus The Peanut: Life In A Peanut Study

Ten-year-old Jack Cole is allergic to peanuts. His allergy is no joke-eating just one peanut could make Jack very, very sick. It could even kill him.

But when Jack gets the chance to take part in a medical study involving peanuts, he goes for it. For a whole year, he wears a special patch covered in peanut protein on his back. The doctors think that this might reduce his sensitivity to peanuts. If they’re right, Jack will be able to go to school and play with his friends with a much lower risk of being hurt by stray allergens. If they’re wrong, Jack could go into anaphylactic shock and stop breathing. Scared but excited, Jack bravely pushes on.

In Jack versus the Peanut, Jack shares his experiences in a desensitizing patch study based in Boston. Told in his own words, this memoir conveys the very real anxiety that millions of children with food allergies feel walking out of their homes each day. Jack’s compelling tale offers these children and their families inspiration in the face of a difficult medical condition and hope for a future not ruled by the fear of food.