Heather Yee
Director of Education

Heather Yee

Director, Education & Programs

Heather’s experience with food allergies began when her son was born in 2007. From the beginning, he was unsettled and always covered in eczema. Her son never slept well and spit up profusely. In hindsight, his first allergic reaction was at a few months old when Heather tried formula with him (she was going out of town and wanted to make sure he could tolerate it in case she hadn’t pumped enough milk). Her son projectile vomited and lay listlessly on Heather’s chest for hours. This was before Heather and her husband knew much about food allergies. At 10 months old, he was finally diagnosed with allergies to milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, and tree nuts in addition to cats and dogs. (The family’s dog needed to be re-homed after the allergist told them he had never seen a dog allergy that high in someone so young.) They also immediately cut all the food allergens out of the home and out of Heather’s diet while she was still nursing, and they saw drastic improvements in her son’s skin and temperament.

However, at 20 months, her son had an anaphylactic reaction. His grandmother accidentally made him toast with the wrong bread and butter, and he immediately had an allergic reaction. By the time Heather and her husband made it to the hospital, their son was so red and swollen that the doctors could not get a line into his veins. The scene felt chaotic and terrifying. After a night in the hospital, he fully recovered and they were sent home. After spiraling trying to educate herself about everything related to food allergies and possible risks of death, Heather decided to channel her energy more productively and organized a local walk for food allergies. After running the walk for several years, Heather became a food allergy support group co-leader.

She also got involved with her local public school. With Heather’s educational background, she knew her son’s rights, yet they were dismissed by the school administration when they requested a 504 plan while registering her son for kindergarten. During meetings, Heather and her husband were incorrectly told that 504 accommodations were a school board issue. She and her husband pressed for what they knew was right and eventually got the 504 plan for their son—and got the school to create a food allergy committee, which eventually passed a new procedure for food in the classroom. Heather’s husband encouraged her to run for the school board one day. She did run, and she won twice, serving her community from 2017 to 2025. Heather was honored to be a voice for all children in the school district.

When Heather’s son was 13, he had another anaphylactic reaction. This time it was an ice cream cone that was supposed to be vegan, nut free, and gluten free. The family called ahead and asked many questions to ensure their son had a safe option. When they arrived and provided a detailed list of his allergies, they were again told the item was safe. Heather’s son was halfway through eating the cone when he began to react. Once they realized what was happening, Heather administered epinephrine and got her son to the hospital. This event set them back several years in terms of trusting restaurants, but it also showed Heather the dire need to educate and advocate on behalf of people living with food allergies. 

Heather and her family have been involved with FAACT since its inception. Heather’s son and daughter attended Camp TAG, and her son also served as a teen counselor. Heather and her family have now embarked on the college process with her son who is living a full, fabulous life with food allergies as part of his story. Heather and her family continue to grow in the realm of food allergies, travel, school, and eating out.

Heather looks forward to working with educators, schools’ administrators, and community members to help people be informed and inclusive when it comes to food allergies. She says it’s a true honor to have this role with an organization that has always been so supportive of the food allergy community and has helped her form some of the closest friendships in her life.