Claire Rowan’s 16-year-old son is coping with a severe medical condition that requires him to receive nourishment via a feeding tube. He relies on Elecare Jr, a hypoallergenic formula mostly used for children with severe protein allergies.
Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration announced a recall of Elecare, Similac, and Ailmentum brand infant formulas — all manufactured by Abbott — after consumers complained of issues related to cronobacter and salmonella contamination in infants who had consumed the formula manufactured in a particular facility.
The recall left parents scrambling to find suitable replacements and affected Rowan’s family especially hard as they had just received their usual delivery of 60 cans, all unusable.
So, with no other recourse and desperate for a solution, Rowan turned to the internet for help. She posted on social media:
Long shot but I am desperate. As of now, [my tube-fed son] has no food. None. We will drive anywhere… I am working to try to get new cases but everyone in America is too. Our choices are no food or likely anaphylaxis so we are putting this out to our community for any help we can get.
The post was reshared hundreds of times on Facebook and upvoted on reddit.
Thankfully, community members in Stafford had safe formula to share that was suitable for her son. Rowan even located formula for an Alexandria mom also scrambling for formula.
We can only imagine the absolute panic Claire must have felt when her son’s lifeline was interrupted. Our best wishes go out to the Rowan family and we hope this ordeal is behind them.
