Brian Hom and Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino have joined FAACT - Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team to help increase the awareness of food allergies through education, programs, conferences, eLearning, Civil Rights Advocacy and Government relations.
Eleanor Garrow-Holding and the FAACT Leadership Team will provide the education, advocacy, awareness, and grassroots outreach needed for the food allergy community. FAACT is The Voice of Food Allergy Awareness.
Brian Hom - Board of Directors - FAACT
In 2014, Brian became a member of The Board of Directors for FAACT. In 2014, Brian became a member of The Board of Directors for FAACT.
Brian Hom has advocated in the food allergy community for more than five years. He has made it his personal mission to raise awareness of the dangers of food allergies and to help find a cure as well as the cause of food allergies so no other families have to suffer loss of life from food allergies. Brian’s 18-year-old son, BJ Hom, died on a family vacation in 2008 after eating a dessert that contained traces of peanuts. The family was visiting a resort in Los Cabos, Mexico, to celebrate BJ’s 18th birthday and his graduation from high school. BJ did not have an epinephrine auto-injector with him because his doctors thought his symptoms would always be mild that they never prescribed auto-injectable epinephrine. Brian has two younger sons, Brandon and Steven Hom. Steven, who is now age 18, has the same severe peanut allergy as his older brother BJ and is participating in the Phase 2 Viaskin Peanut Patch Study at Stanford University with Dr. Kari Nadeau to find a cure.
Brian chaired the California Bay Area FAAN Walk for Food Allergy in 2011 and 2012 and has raised more than $290,000 through these events. He was awarded the FAAN Family Advocacy Award in 2010 and was named “Outstanding Volunteer for 2013.” Brian advocated on Capitol Hill for the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act and appeared on Lifetime Network’s television show, “The Balancing Act,” to raise awareness of the dangers of food allergies. Brian filmed a YouTube video for Mylan Corporation called “Food Allergies Don’t Take Vacations” and has appeared on NBC News Bay Area and KPIX Channel 5 and many radio talk shows, sharing his son’s story to raise awareness of the dangers of food allergies. He has also shared his family’s story in two news articles on CNN.com “"Study: Food allergies more common, more severe among children" and “8 percent of US children now have food allergies,” and the San Jose Mercury newspaper.
Brian is also co-founder of the Food Allergy Zone Web site with Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino, which is dedicated to helping us all stay alive and thrive with food allergies and to find the cause and cure for food allergies. Brian has been on the Board of Director of the Bay Area Allergy Advisory Board. He is working closely with Bay-area sports teams – including the Golden State Warriors basketball team, San Francisco Giants baseball team, San Jose SaberCats arena football team, San Francisco Bulls hockey team, and the Oakland A’s and San Jose Giants baseball teams – for Food Allergy Awareness Night Fundraisers with peanut-free and food allergy courteous sections. Brian has partnered with Whole Foods Market and New Leaf Community Market on 5% Charity days as well as with Jamba Juice company. He has worked with musician Kyle Dine on many Bay Area School Assemblies to raise awareness and educate students on the dangers of food allergies. He is also a member of the California Advocates for Food Allergies, which is advocating for mandatory emergency stock epinephrine in California schools.
Brian has a Bachelor’s degree in Managerial Economics and a Master’s degree in Business Management and has been working in the high-tech industry for more than 34 years as a Global Commodity Manager for IBM, Hitachi, and HGST Inc. a Western Digital Company.
Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino - Spokesperson FAACT
Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino, now 47, Hay House author and Best Ever You Network CEO, lives her daily life with life-threatening allergies "anaphylaxis" to peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish. In 1998, Elizabeth nearly lost her life due to an allergic reaction to almonds. In 1999, she had a second near-fatal allergic reaction while 6 months pregnant with her third son, after which they were hospitalized for more than a week in Burnsville, MN. Elizabeth turned these challenges into a mission to help people living with allergies and other challenges to thrive and be their very best. In 2006, Elizabeth became a food allergy spokesperson for MedicAlert Foundation and appeared on their magazine, which was mailed to over one million members. Elizabeth continues in that role today, working closely with their executive team, appearing on their website and raising food allergy awareness internationally and also appears with Jerome Bettis in the book, One of the Gang – Nurturing the Souls of Children with Food Allergies by Gina Clowes. In 2008, she founded the Best Ever You Network, which is a leading multimedia provider of lifestyle and self-help content. With Brian Hom in 2011, I co-founded the Food Allergy Zone to help people stay alive and thrive with food allergies. FAZ also hopes to help us find a cure and the cause of food allergies. In 2014 Elizabeth became a spokesperson for FAACT - Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team. Elizabeth hosts “The Best Ever You Show” on BlogTalkRadio, which has over millions of global listeners. In Percolate: Let Your Best Self Filter Through (April 2014), Elizabeth empowers readers to implement powerful, positive change to thrive in every aspect of your life. Elizabeth graduated with honors a year early from high school and college. Elizabeth attended the University of Iowa and is an honors graduate of St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. She has several certificates in Business Leadership and Project Management from St. Thomas University in Minneapolis, MN and is also a Certified Professional Life Coach and certified Food Over Medicine instructor. She lives with her husband and four sons in Maine. Visit BestEverYou.com for more information about Elizabeth’s work and passions.
About Food Allergy Zone
Food Allergy Zone was founded in 2013 by Brian Hom and Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino to increase awareness of food allergies, help us all stay alive and thrive with food allergies and find a cure. Brian’s 18-year-old son, BJ Hom, died on a family vacation in 2008 after eating a dessert that contained traces of peanuts. Elizabeth lives her daily live with allergies to peanuts, nuts, fish and shellfish.
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