KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics in Kansas, Missouri and at the local level. Share your story idea with Charlie.
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Mandi Kearns checks the label on every package of food that comes into her home. Her son is allergic to peanuts, eggs, sesame and other foods.
Luckily, her son was carrying an EpiPen, which contains the medication epinephrine, when he was exposed to eggs at 9 years old. He treated himself with the pen.
“That’s terrifying to think about,” Kearns admitted.
It’s been about eight years since that day. This month, Kearns, who runs Prairie Village-based Just Like You Films, will release a new food allergies docudrama called “May Contain: My Life."
The film features former NFL star Jerome Bettis, but focuses on the story of Elijah Silvera, a New York 3-year-old who died when he ate food that caused an anaphylactic reaction at a child care center in 2017.
Several states have passed Elijah’s Law since the boy’s death. The law requires early childcare facilities to have an EpiPen.
Kansas City, Missouri, adopted Elijah’s Law in 2023. But a city spokesperson said the city is not enforcing the rule “as we work through the matter with the State.”
Missouri has not adopted Elijah’s Law, so the current law is unclear on whether childcare facilities qualify for an EpiPen prescription.
City Councilwoman Andrea Bough (6th District At-Large) hopes state legislators adopt Elijah’s Law so the state and city have a uniform approach.
“We can implement it in a way that will protect the children of Kansas City,” Bough said.
Her own daughter has an allergy to tree nuts.
Missouri Speaker of the House Jon Patterson (R-Lee's Summit) told KSHB 41 News political reporter Charlie Keegan that “all bills are alive,” which include language to adopt Elijah’s Law.
The state ends its annual legislative session next week.
Many students who know they have a food allergy bring an EpiPen to school or daycare. But most children experience their first reaction while at school before discovering they have an allergy.
The KCMO spokesperson's full statement references regulations around children with prescriptions.
"While the Health Department believes childcare facilities qualify as 'authorized entities' under State law and may be prescribed auto-injector epinephrine pens, enforcement of this requirement has been temporarily paused as we work through the matter with the State. All childcare facilities are still required, however, to maintain a required, no-cost Kansas City, Missouri Health Department permit. The Department’s regulations still contain requirements involving emergency response and training for food allergies and the use of auto-injector epinephrine pens for children to whom they have been prescribed."
The nurse at Pembroke Hill’s Wornall Campus said the school gets a prescription for EpiPens. She places the devices at strategic locations throughout the campus, including in the cafeteria.
“I feel confident here because we keep EpiPens in the dining hall with us,” said nurse McKenzie Beattie.
Some of the largest school districts within Kansas City limits — including North Kansas City, Park Hill and Kansas City Public Schools — said they're prescribed EpiPens and keep them on campus, including at early childhood centers.
Bough is featured in the film "May Contain: My Life." She sponsored a special recognition of National Food Allergy Awareness Month at Thursday’s council meeting.
Tickets to the premiere of "May Contain: My Life" are free, but advanced registration is required. The film premieres at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 21, at the theater inside Union Station.
AMC will play the movie at its theaters over Memorial Day weekend. Prime and Apple have agreed to stream the film after it leaves theaters.
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